


Be Gay, Do Crimes

by Woofgang69



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bad Parenting, Creepy Orochimaru (Naruto), Gen, Good Akatsuki (Naruto), Love at First Sight, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, Uchiha Itachi-centric, akatsuki is just a gang, so are some of the swordsmen of the mist, some smut, the major character death isn't the two main characters, the rookie 9 are mentioned brielfy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:20:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 25
Words: 54,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27898201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Woofgang69/pseuds/Woofgang69
Summary: Itachi had been going through the motions of his life until the day his father asked for his help on a case.  The only thing he had to go on was the name 'Akatsuki'.  He found himself plunged into a dangerous world of stalkers, drugs, and violence.  And then he met Kisame Hoshigaki.  A man with a sharp smile, dangerous past, and gentle kiss.
Relationships: Hoshigaki Kisame/Uchiha Itachi, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 79
Kudos: 100





	1. Chapter 1

Itachi’s parents always had such high hopes for him. Since he was young enough to remember, he had always been told he was a genius. He finished high school by the time he was ten and college by thirteen. He always took first place in every competition his parents signed him up for--judo, piano, spelling bees, races, and anything else his father could think of. Their living room was full of his trophies. 

Itachi hated it. His parents saw him as something to show off. He didn’t have any friends other than his cousin because everyone his own age hated him. And his baby brother saw him as a rival for his father’s affection and hated him too. But, even with all of that, Itachi loved his family with all his heart and would do anything they asked of him. 

Which is why he found himself at sixteen standing in front of his father’s desk at the police station. His father was sitting behind the desk along with Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Chief of Police, and Danzo Shimura, the head of the Organized Crime division. All three kept looking at each other like they weren’t sure who should be speaking first. Itachi wanted to ask why he was there, but he knew his father wouldn’t appreciate  _ him _ being the one to speak first. So he waited.

“Itachi, I asked you here on a matter of great importance.” His father spoke slowly like he was afraid Itachi wouldn’t understand if he didn’t. 

“Yes father.” 

“What we discuss here cannot leave this room.  _ Do you understand? _ ” His father was still speaking slowly. He almost wanted to roll his eyes.

“I understand father.” Danzo looked at Itachi like he didn’t believe he really understood, but he didn’t say anything.

“Itachi--” It was now Hiruzen’s turn to talk to him slowly. “--have you heard of a group called the Akatsuki?” He rolled the name over for a moment before shaking his head. “They seem to be a new group that’s taken root in the city. We only know bits and pieces right now, but from what we do know they seem to have their hands in a lot. It also seems like they’ve single-handedly taken over the drug trade in the city.” Which must be why his father’s division was involved. Hiruzen paused, and, after a moment, Itachi realized it was because he was expecting him to say something.

“I see.” 

“We’ve been having a lot of trouble tracking down any of the guys up top.” His father was speaking again, and Itachi hoped he’d get to the reason why  _ he _ was there soon. “None of the pushers know anything and all the leads we have are impossible to follow up on. What we really need is someone on the inside.” Itachi understood at all once.

“And you think that could be me.” It wasn’t a question because he already knew the answer. His father looked at him in pride.

“Yes we do.” Danzo cleared his throat loudly, but his father continued speaking. “ _ I _ do. You’re smart, skilled, and might already have an in.” Itachi had no idea what his father meant by ‘an in’. Almost everyone he knew and talked to was an Uchiha.

“Who?” His father looked uncomfortable, and now he was actually curious.

“Do you remember Orochimaru?” He did vaguely. Orochimaru used to work in the forensics lab at the station. Itachi would see him whenever he visited his father at work or at holiday parties. The older man always said hello to him and looked at him strangely. He was found tampering with evidence or selling evidence or something a few years ago and fled. As far as Itachi knew he was still at large.

“Vaguely.” 

“There’s a rumor he’s joined with Akatsuki, but we’re not sure how true it is yet. But right now it’s one of the more actionable leads we have.” He waited for his father to explain why Orochimaru would be an in for him, but he trailed off and wouldn’t meet his eye. 

“When we first did a search of Orochumaru’s apartment we found some…. _ concerning _ things among his possessions. He seemed to have a bit of a fixation on you.” Itachi blinked slowly as he tried to figure out how he felt hearing that. 

“Why didn’t anyone tell me before now?” His question was addressed to his father, but Hiruzen answered.

“You were so young, and we didn’t want to upset you.” He blinked slowly again.

“But now you’re hoping to use this fixation as an in to get me in the Akatsuki. Right?” His father finally met his eyes again, but just to glare at him sharply for his disrespectful tone. Hiruzen at least had the decency to look ashamed. 

“Only if you agree to helping us on this case, Itachi. We understand this is a serious decision, and I expect that you will think it over very carefully.” Based on the look his father was giving him, Itachi’s decision was going to be ‘yes’. 

“What would you have me do if I agreed?” 

“You’d be undercover with minimal contact.” It was the first time Danzo had spoken to him since he arrived at the station. He still sounded unsure that Itachi was the right choice for the job, but he kept talking. “You’d need to leave your life behind and create a version of yourself Orochimaru would be most likely to notice and contact. Then you’d need to create a version of yourself he’d trust. You’d be on your own for that part.”

“And when wouldn’t I be on my own?” 

“After you’ve made contact with Akatsuki and learned enough we could use.” He nodded slowly. From what he knew of his father’s cases that could be years. 

“And what if Orochimaru  _ isn’t _ part of the Akatsuki?” 

“Then you come back home until we find a real lead.” He nodded slowly again.

“Itachi.” Hiruzen was looking at him earnestly. “Please think about this very carefully. This could take years, and I cannot guarantee your safety. Your father assures us you’d be more than capable and of that I have no doubt. But I want you to be sure this is the best choice for  _ you _ . Do you understand?” 

“I understand, sir. I will take the week to think everything over and then I will come back with my answer.” Hiruzen smiled at him kindly.

“Then I will see you in a week Itachi and not a day sooner.” Itachi bowed his head respectfully to the three men in the office before leaving. He knew his father would want to talk about it more after he got home, but right now he didn’t want to think about his father.

****

Itachi took a few buses until he was at his older cousin’s dorm building. He hadn’t texted him that he was stopping by, so he hoped he was actually in. He needed to talk to someone, and Shisui was the only friend he had ever really had. They had met at a family party ten years ago and he didn’t think the way Itachi spoke was weird. 

Shisui answered the door almost as soon as Itachi knocked. “Itachi?” He looked surprised, but pleasantly so.

“Hey Shisui. Is this a good time?”

“Yeah, of course!” He ushered Itachi through the door and over to his bed. After they both sat down, Shisui looked at him expectantly. “Everything okay?” Itachi slowly shook his head.

“Well…” He immediately told Shisui everything that he promised his father would never leave that room. He spoke until he was out of breath and then spoke some more. Shisui listened quietly with his eyes wide in shock. “...and so now I have a week to figure it all out.” 

“Itachi.” Shisui sounded breathless like he was just the one who spoke for an hour. “Itachi, do  _ you _ want to take this case?” Itachi frowned at him.

“Well father wants me to.” Shisui sighed loudly.

“Yeah well he’s a fucking idiot. Do  _ you _ want to give up your whole life, act as bait for some creep with an obsession with you, and then sneak into a group of criminals?” Itachi shifted so his knees were pressed against his chest and he could hide his face from his cousin. He thought about it. And then thought about it some more.

“I kind of do.” Shisui made a noise like he didn’t believe him. Itachi still wasn’t looking at his cousin, so he couldn’t tell what his face looked like. “Well I guess I really just want to  _ leave _ . Other than you and Sasuke, what would I really be leaving behind?”

“Yeah okay I can get wanting to get away from your family, but I feel like there are other ways you could do that! Itachi--” Shisui gently placed a hand on Itachi’s ankle, so he shifted his head so he could peer at him through his hair. “--this isn’t like those competitions or classes your dad made you do. This is  _ dangerous _ . You won’t have any back-up or a way out if things go bad. And how can they  _ not _ go bad?”

“Oh so you think I won’t be able handle it.” He sighed again.

“No. I think you’re a 16-year-old kid with no training and barely any social skills.” Itachi felt his neck go hot, but he had nothing he could say back to that. “If you  _ really, actually _ want to do this, I’ll help you any way I can. But I just want you to make sure it really is something you want to do and not something your father wants you to do. Okay?” Shisui was the only friend Itachi ever had, but he was also the best friend he could ever have had.

“Okay. I’ll really think about it.”

“Thanks.” Shisui squeezed his ankle once before moving off the bed. “Now I’m going to order a pizza and we can find some dumb movie to watch before your dad comes looking for you. Okay?”

“Okay.”

They ate pizza and watched bad movies until his father called him on his way home from work. He asked for a ride home so he could get the inevitable conversation over with and because he was out of bus tokens. He promised Shisui he’d call him later when he left.

“We have a lot to talk about, Itachi.” His father had barely let him open the car door before starting. 

“Yes, father.” 

“This is a major opportunity for us. We’ve been trying to get somewhere on this group for ages.”

“Are you sure that Orochimaru’s really a part of the Akatsuki?” Itachi asked as he looked out the window. He found it easier to question his father when he didn’t have to look directly at him.

“We’re pretty sure. And even if he isn’t, we’d at least finally be able to track him down.” In his mind he remembered how Shisui had called him ‘bait’ earlier. “Don’t tell me you’re scared or something.” His father’s voice sounded mocking. 

“I’m not.” His own voice sounded flat. “Just wanted to make sure I have all the needed information.” 

“You will.” In his father’s mind it was already decided that Itachi would be doing it. He thought of Shisui again and sighed inaudibly. 

“Alright.” 

“This will be  _ huge _ for the family. You understand, don’t you Itachi."

“I do understand.”

“Great. Now we should think over how to stage you leaving the family.” Itachi sighed inaudibly again and kept his gaze towards the window. 

“You and I will have a loud falling out because I want to be my own person which results in me running away. I’ll take some necessities with me along with all the cash I’ve been ‘saving’ just in case of something like this. I’ll head to whichever part of the city Orochimaru is rumored to frequent. You can list me as a missing person. We won’t tell mother and Sasuke so their genuine reactions can flesh it out. Good enough?” His voice was flat as he said it, but his heart clenched painfully just for a moment. He imagined his baby brother’s face and thought about calling it all off. 

“I  _ knew _ you were the right person for this, son.” His father’s voice was full of pride. “I’ll make sure you have a good amount of cash so you won’t be too hard up.”

“Thank you.” If his father heard his sarcasm, he didn’t address it. 

“Anything else we should prepare ahead of time?” Itachi thought he should’ve been the one asking that question, but he didn’t say that. Instead he thought for a moment.

“A fake ID.”

“Absolutely not.” He wanted to laugh. Having his son undertake an off-the-record, undercover mission was okay, but fake IDs was where he drew the line?

“I’ll need it. It could take years to get anywhere with this case. I’ll need to get a job and it’ll be easier if I was older. And getting into bars will probably come in handy.” His father was silent for a few blocks, but he could tell that he was thinking it over.

“Alright. Anything else?”

“No. I’ll sort through my own things later and figure out what I can and should bring with me.” That wouldn’t take very long as he didn’t have many things. 

“Itachi, I am extremely proud to call you my son.” Itachi didn’t know what to say to that, so he didn’t say anything. 

They spent the rest of the drive in silence. When they got back home, Itachi went straight to his room, went to his bed, and immediately fell asleep. 


	2. Chapter 2

Itachi spent the week slowly withdrawing money, sorting through his clothes, and trying to spend as much time with Sasuke and Shisui as he could. Both of them had school most of the day so it wasn’t easy, but he knew that was going to be the only thing he really missed when he left. Shisui looked at him sadly every time they met, but he didn’t try to talk Itachi out of it. Sasuke looked pleased and a bit suspicious with all the time Itachi was spending with him, but he didn’t ask any questions. He was going to miss them so much, but he had already made up his mind.

He was back at the station with his father, Danzo, and Hiruzen a week later. His father looked at him with pride. Hiruzen looked at him sadly. And Danzo looked at him blankly. “And you’re absolutely sure, Itachi?” 

“Yes, sir.” Hiruzen sighed quietly, but didn’t ask again.

“You remember what you need to do?” 

“Yes, sir. I need to put myself in a position likely to make contact with Orochiamru and then I need to get him to trust me.” Danzo nodded slowly.

“You’ll be on your own until you’ve made contact with someone of interest in the Akatsuki. Do you understand what that means?” Itachi wanted to roll his eyes.

“Yes, sir.” Danzo nodded again. 

“Are you prepared to start right away?”

“Yes, sir. I’ve already put everything in order.” His father looked at him in pride. 

“Good.” Danzo handed him a sheet of paper. “These are all places Orochimaru was known to frequent. There have been rumors of him being seen at the highlighted ones in the last year.” Only three were highlighted. Itachi had never heard of any of the places on the list before, but he knew wherever they were would be where he’d end up. “Memorize this list now.” He wanted to roll his eyes again, but instead he focused on the list. After a few minutes he handed it back to Danzo.

“Itachi, after you leave here today you will no longer have any ties to this station. If you get into any trouble, we cannot help you. If you get brought in on any kind of charge, we cannot do anything for you. You are entirely on your own.”

“I understand, sir.” Hiruzen sighed again and stood up slowly. 

“I look forward to the day I can see you again.” He gripped Itachi’s hand tightly, shook it once, and then left the room. Danzo followed soon after without saying anything.

“Itachi, when you do you want to leave?” There was a lump in his throat, but he swallowed it down.

“Tonight.” 

“Are you sure?” He thought about Sasuke and Shisui.

“Yes. I’ve already done everything I needed to.” He had everything he was planning to take with him altogether so he’d be able to cram it in his bag after their ‘fight’. His wallet was full of cash and his father had already given him the fake ID. There wasn’t anything else he had to prepare, and he knew if he had any more time with Sasuke and Shisui he’d back out. 

“Alright. Do you think we should rehearse our fight?” His father had the little smile that was always so hard won from him. When he was younger Itachi tried to be the best at everything to get it, but now it made him feel a little sick.

“No. I think it’ll be more believable if we don’t.” His father nodded once.

“Alright. You should go home and try to think up something believable.” His voice was light like he thought that’d be the hard part for him. Itachi had so much he had always wanted to say that he knew being believable wouldn’t be a problem.

“Okay. I’ll see you later.” He left before his father could say anything else. 

He took the long way home and looked up all the places that had been on the list. Most of them were bars and a lot of them were in the same 5-block area. He looked up a few different routes to them from his house, memorized them, and then cleared his search history. He sent Shisui a text that said ‘thanks for everything’ before shutting off his phone. He wasn’t going to bring it with him when he left.

The house was empty when he got home, which was pretty normal. It made it easy to bring a bunch of water bottles and snacks to his room without being suspicious. He shoved them in his bag along with the only book he was taking with him. The other things he was bringing stayed off to the side for now so he could storm in here later to pack in a rush to leave. He put his phone on his desk and then laid on his bed as he waited for everyone else to get home.

He heard his mother come home first. He heard her put her keys in the bowl beside the door, take off her shoes, and head into the kitchen. Then he heard Sasuke come home. His brother slammed open the door and loudly shouted ‘I’m home!’ which made Itachi smile sadly. He sat back up when he heard his father come home. He opened the door, dropped his keys in the bowl, and shouted ‘Itachi!’. Itachi sighed as he realized his father had already planned to start the scene. He had hoped to wait until after dinner, but it’s not like it was that much of a difference. He waited until his father called his name again before going downstairs.

His father always went directly to the living room after work, so Itachi went there. He passed Sasuke in his own room and had to stop himself from going in. “You wanted to see me, father?”

“I did.” He gestured for Itachi to take a seat, but he remained standing. He knew he was going to run out of the room at some point and he didn’t think jumping up from the chair first would make it look any better. His father frowned at him, but he must’ve considered that this was part of the scene and recovered quickly. “I think it’s long past time for you to start applying to law schools.” 

“Law schools?” Itachi’s surprise was genuine. He knew his father probably wanted him in a high-paying career, but he didn’t think ‘lawyer’ was the specific one he’d suggest. 

“Yes. The family could benefit from having you as a lawyer.” Itachi rolled his eyes because he could this time. 

“So I should go to law school for the family?” His father frowned again.

“Of course. Your first responsibility will always be to this family.”

“My first responsibility in everything?” His frown grew more pronounced.

“Of course. What else is there?” 

“Myself. I don’t  _ want _ to go to law school.” Itachi slowly started raising his voice. It had to be loud enough to get his mother interested, but not loud enough for her to interrupt yet. 

“Why not? Have you been looking at medical schools?” 

“No. I don’t  _ want _ to go to law school or to medical school. I want--”

“Oh so you want to follow in my footsteps and join the force.” He wasn’t sure if his father interrupted him for their ‘fight’ or if he truly believed Itachi wanted to join the police, but he was done letting him control the conversation.

“No! I’m sick of you making all of my choices for me! I’m sick of being some pet project you use to impress all your friends. I just want to do something because I  _ want _ to do it for once.” He was breathing hard like he had just finished running.

“If I let you do whatever you wanted, you would waste all of your potential. Is  _ that  _ what you want? To be some average nobody like Shisui?” Itachi clenched his hands into fists and felt his nails break the skin on his palms. He was annoyed before, but now he was truly angry with his father. 

“Shisui’s not some nobody! He’s a great person, and I’d love to be just like him.” His father scoffed. 

“You’re  _ better _ than him, son. That’s why my expectations for you are higher, and that’s why you need to understand that I know what’s best for you.”

“But you don’t! You don’t know what’s best for me!” He was yelling loudly now even though his father had barely raised his voice. He could see his mother and Sasuke both looking in at them from the other room. “Everything you have me do is best for  _ you _ , and I’m done going along with it.” His father stood up angrily, and, for a moment, he wished he knew what he was thinking.

“You will do what I say while you live under my roof. Is that clear?” 

“Crystal.” He turned sharply, rushed out of the room past Sasuke and his mother, and then rushed up the stairs. 

“Itachi.” His mother was rushing right behind him. She probably wanted to talk him down, but he couldn’t let her. There wasn’t going to be anyway to talk him down from this choice, but she didn’t know that. He ignored her as he burst back into his room. He started shoving his pile into his bag and hoped it looked rushed and random to his mother. “Itachi!” She put a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off roughly. “What are you doing?” 

“Packing.” He heard his father’s heavy steps on the stairs. 

“What?! Why?!” He ignored her as he shoved the last of his things in his bag.

“Itachi, what are you doing?” His father’s voice was stern, but he still hadn’t raised his voice at all. Itachi looked over at him and tried to ignore Sasuke who was hiding behind their father. 

“I’m leaving.” He said it calmly, but his heart was racing. 

“You are doing no such thing. Put the bag down.” 

“No.” He slung the strap over his shoulder. “I cannot and  _ will not _ live like this anymore.” He walked away from his mother, shouldered past his father, and avoided looking at Sasuke. He walked down the stairs and quickly made it to the front door. He didn’t pick up his keys because he wouldn’t need them again.

“Itachi, if you walk out that door you won’t be able to just walk right back in.” His father didn’t even sound that angry or worried, but it was enough to convince his mother.

“Fugaku! Itachi, he doesn’t mean that!” She sounded close to tears, and it made his heart twist painfully.

“Yes I do. If he wants to make his own choices so badly, then he can experience the consequences of them.” They locked eyes once, and Itachi knew this was it.

“I’m sorry, mother.” He just started to open the door when Sasuke grabbed his arm roughly. 

“Itachi!” He made the mistake of looking down at his brother’s face. Sasuke had always been an ugly crier, and he looked ugly now with tears running down his face. “Please don’t go!” It made his heart twist terribly and almost made him take his hand off the door. But then his father made a small noise behind them and he knew he couldn’t stay. 

“I’m sorry Sasuke.” He pulled his arm out of the tight grip as gently as he could. He tapped his brother in the center of his forehead with two fingers. “But I have to go.” And then he opened the door and left before Sasuke could say anything else. 

Itachi ran as soon as the door shut behind him. He knew Sasuke would try to follow and it was already hard enough leaving. He ran until he was well out of the neighborhood and out of breath. He ran until his chest hurt and his legs felt numb. He ran until he absolutely couldn’t run anymore. Then he stopped and he cried. He cried with his hands pressed tightly to his face so he wouldn’t make a sound. He felt his whole body shake with his sobs. 

When he was done, he wiped all the tears from his face and then he ran again. 


	3. Chapter 3

He spent the first night sleeping in a slide at some park well away from his neighborhood. He spent the second night on a bench in one of the city’s major train stations. He spent the third night in a crumbling, abandoned building near two of the highlighted places on Danzo’s list. He wasn’t the only one staying there, but it was the only place he could really find. He didn’t really sleep that night.

On his fourth day someone tried to mug him. Itachi looked like a pretty easy target even without having showered for days, so he could understand how it happened. He was in an alley near a bar called Matatabi when he heard someone say, “turn around pretty boy.” He didn’t think the voice was addressing him until he heard, “I said  _ turn around _ !” So Itachi turned around slowly. 

The owner of the voice didn’t look much older than himself. He was holding a small knife out towards Itachi with one, unsteady hand. He had probably hoped just showing the knife would be enough and it might’ve been if he had held it out to anyone else. “Give me everything you have right now.” But it didn’t scare Itachi. Instead he took two steps closer to the guy, who, in turn, took two steps back. “Stop moving! Just toss it over here.” He held out his other hand. 

“No.” Itachi quickly kicked the knife out of the guy’s hand and then kicked him again hard in the chest. The guy stumbled back, which was what he had intended. While he found his footing, Itachi grabbed the knife off the ground and held it with much more confidence than the other guy had used. “I’m taking this and leaving. Do not try to follow me. Understand?” He looked at Itachi with confusion and a little bit of fear, but he didn’t say anything. So Itachi took one step forward. “Do you understand?” 

“Yeah man!” Itachi nodded once, turned back around, and left the alley. The knife was a simple switchblade, so he closed it and stuffed it in his pocket when he was sure the other guy wasn’t following. 

A few other people tried to mug him during his first few weeks, but he took care of them all pretty much the same way. He ended up getting a few more knives out of it. He even got a gun from one of them, but it only had a few bullets let in the clip so he decided to save that for emergencies. He also started to get a reputation, which helped him keep safe sleeping places. He eventually needed to find a more permanent, safer option but he needed somewhere while he looked. 

After almost two months he was able to find a cash-only, no documents needed, and no questions asked kind of place to live. It was small and disgusting and the whole building was definitely a money-laundering front, but it had a bathroom and a door that locked and that was really all he needed. He immediately went out to buy soap, shampoo, and a cheap blanket and felt clean and comfortable for the first time in what felt like years.

It was easier to find a place to work after having regular access to a shower. He tried a few different places from Danzo’s list, but a lot of them weren’t hiring or just weren’t hiring someone with no resume and a fake ID. He ended up getting a job as a waiter at that bar Matatabi. It paid under the counter, didn’t ask him for any proof of identification, and didn’t care that he had absolutely no experience. Its cliente was seedy, staff had to put up with every terrible thing customers said with a smile, and turnover was high. It was an absolutely awful place to work, but it was exactly where he needed to be. He quickly learned about everything on the menu, how to smile politely enough to not get in trouble, and how to dodge customers with wandering hands. It was an awful place to work, but it could’ve been worse. 

A year went by almost without Itachi noticing. Most of his days were spent exactly the same--working and then sleeping. Sometimes he got into fights or sometimes he had to lose persistent customers who tried to follow him home, but almost everyday felt the exact same. He turned seventeen at some point. 

He didn’t hear from any of his family members. He didn’t reach out to them either. Sometimes he thought about just giving up and going back. Sometimes he’d think about Sasuke and Shisui and desperately want to know how they were doing. He wanted to see them or hear their voices or something. But he stayed exactly where he was.

A part of him kind of actually  _ liked _ what he was doing. It was hard and lonely and he barely had enough to survive, but he was the one doing it. A lot of him felt relaxed just to be away from his father and his expectations. He grew his hair out like how he had always wanted to, but his parents never let him. He even started painting his nails just because he could. A part of him considered just forgetting about keeping an eye out for Orochimaru and just staying like this for as long as he could. 

****

Matatabi wasn’t really a popular bar, but it had enough loyal customers to get by. Itachi knew most of the regulars by now, so he always noticed when there was a new face. There was a whole table of new faces back in one of the corners that night. He was curious, but it wasn’t his table so he planned just to keep an eye on it. 

The table was so quiet that he ended up forgetting about it. He worked like usual and was exhausted by the end of his shift. He said goodbye to the bartenders, told three different customers he didn’t need anyone to walk him home, and then left. 

It was dark out and only a few of the streetlights worked, so it took Itachi a minute to realize someone was following him. They walked quietly and were far enough away it could've been a coincidence. But he had a feeling it wasn't. He turned quickly and there _ was _ someone standing behind him. It was dark enough that it was hard to see them, but he could tell they were confident. He put a hand in his pocket and touched his switchblade. He didn't pull it out yet, but he was ready if he needed to. "What do you want?" They stepped closer, but still stayed out of the light. Itachi stood his ground because he wasn't afraid.

"It's been a long time, Itachi." He pulled the switchblade out at his name.

"Has it?" They stepped forward again and this time stood directly under a streetlight. It took Itachi a moment to recognize them. "Oh. Hello Orochimaru." He smiled at Itachi and it made his face look strange.

"I'm flattered you remember me." Even though every instinct was telling him not to, he put his switchblade back in his pocket. 

"Of course. You were always very kind to me." His smile grew and it made Itachi want to run.

“I have to say I’m very surprised to see you again here of all places.” Itachi looked at the ground and hoped it made him look shy. 

“I..uh..had a bit of a rough year.” His voice sounded awkward. 

“Oh?” Orochimaru’s voice sounded curious and pleased. He took a few more steps closer. There was still about six feet between them, but Itachi could see him more clearly now. He looked almost exactly like how he remembered as a child. 

“Yeah. I um ran away from home last year.” He started playing with the ends of his hair and wondered if Orochimaru could hear how loudly his heart was beating.

“Ran away?” He still sounded pleased, which sent an involuntary shiver up Itachi’s spine. Orochimaru took another step forward, and Itachi had to force himself to not take a step back. “Sounds like something serious happened.” 

“I just couldn’t stay there anymore. My father…” He wasn’t quite sure how to finish his sentence, but luckily Orochimaru did.

“Didn’t understand you.” Itachi shook his head, but in agreement.

“He didn’t and living there was suffocating.” 

“I imagine it would be for someone like you.” He reached out and tucked a piece of Itachi’s hair behind his ear. Itachi’s breathing hitched, and he hoped the other man couldn’t tell it was from fear. Orochimaru was much closer now and he could see the look on his face more clearly. It was a look he saw often working at the bar, but one he still wasn’t used to. It was a look that meant Orochimaru was attracted to him. He thought of Hiruzen mentioning the older man’s  _ fixation _ and it made him feel nauseous. “Do you have a long walk home?”

“No. But--” He remembered his mission and swallowed down the lump in his throat. “--company would be nice. I mean if you’d like to walk with me?” He looked down at their feet again mainly because he knew he couldn’t be believable if they made eye contact.

“Oh, I’d be  _ delighted _ to.” His hand brushed against Itachi’s cheek for just a moment before dropping back to his side. “Lead the way.” Against all his instincts, Itachi did lead Orochimaru back to his apartment. He didn’t invite him in and luckily he didn’t try to invite himself in. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry in advance that all of the chapter lengths will not be consistent! I tried to keep them relatively consistent, but some made more sense to be longer and some didn't.
> 
> I pretty much have this all written, so I'm be posting somewhat regularly with a ton at first.


	4. Chapter 4

After that first night, Itachi saw Orochimaru almost every day. He came to Matatabi regularly and always sat in Itachi’s section. He walked him home often. He had somehow even gotten the number to the cheap phone Itachi had. It might’ve been flattering if it didn’t completely creep him out. He constantly felt the heavy weight of Orochimaru’s stare on him, even when he couldn’t see the older man anywhere. 

Orochimaru asked him a lot of questions. He wanted to know pretty much everything Itachi had done since he had last seen him almost five years ago. He also often asked Itachi what he thought about his other regular customers. He saw the angry looks the older man gave anyone who tried to flirt with him, but he pretended like he didn’t understand the true meaning of those kinds of questions. He also pretended like he didn’t understand the meaning behind the looks Orochimaru gave him all the time. Playing dumb wouldn’t work forever, but he was planning to do it for as long as he could.

Orochimaru asked him a lot of questions, but wouldn’t really answer any himself. Itachi tried to find out where he had gone after he avoided arrest, but he only gave vague answers. He wouldn’t say why he was back in the city. He wouldn’t even answer clearly when Itachi would ask about his day. He knew earning the older man’s trust was going to take a while, but it was still frustrating. Especially when he didn’t want to spend any time with him at all. 

The gifts started after a month. At first they were small things like treats and books. Itachi tried not to accept them, but Orochimaru had just said ‘please, I  _ insist _ ’ and wouldn’t take them back. Then they started to become larger things like clothes and jewelry that he  _ insisted  _ Itachi wear. He knew wearing them would’ve shown Orochimaru’s new mark on his life, so he avoided that as best as he could. Also the clothes were way too tight and revealing for him to feel comfortable in. 

The break-ins also started around the same time. He still lived in the same seedy apartment with the old locks, so he wasn’t surprised that it had happened. He was surprised that nothing had been stolen. He probably never would’ve ever known someone else had been in his apartment if his things weren’t slightly shifted. After the first time, he assumed someone looked through his things quickly and realized he didn’t have much worth stealing. After the second time, he wondered if they were looking for something specific. After the third time, he was worried that they were going through his things while they waited for him to come home. 

Later the break-ins actually started looking like break-ins. Itachi came home to his door partially open with the lock busted a couple of times. At first he still couldn’t see anything missing, but then he realized some of his clothes were gone. It was strange, but it didn’t worry him too much right away. But then it kept happening and he realized none of the clothes Orochimaru had given him ever went missing. It was all starting to make sense. Especially as Orochimaru started giving him more clothes and asking if everything was alright more often. It was unsettling, but he just shoved that feeling down and continued to thank the older man for his gifts and concern.

After a couple of more months, Itachi noticed that someone followed him home every night he walked alone. They followed him distantly at first, but then they got closer each night. It wasn’t too out of the ordinary, so he didn’t mention it to anyone at first. But then Orochimaru kept mentioning how the area was getting much more dangerous and he realized it was still all part of whatever plan the older man had. That scared him more than just being followed, but he guessed that also meant he was getting closer to Orochimaru. So when Orochimaru offered to walk him home more often, he readily accepted. He also accepted when he asked if Itachi would like to see him more outside of the bar.

He almost panicked and ran when the first place Orochimaru took him was his apartment. He tried to remember exactly what he had agreed to and if it was actually code for something else. Without meaning to, he thought of Shisui telling him that he barely had any social skills. But luckily Orochimaru just wanted to show off to him. He showed him the expensive art he had collected and beautiful swords and exotic snakes that definitely weren’t legal to own. He took him to expensive restaurants where he felt awkward and completely underdressed. It all made Itachi feel nauseous, but he pushed that down and did his best to say all of the right things at all of the right times. 

Eventually Itachi got to meet some of the people who worked for Orochimaru. He never said what it was they did for him, but it was a start. That also meant he got to meet Kabuto, Orochimaru’s ‘right-hand man’, who seemed to hate him on sight. The feeling was mutual, so Itachi did his best to avoid him. It worked pretty well for the most part.

Five months after finding Orochimaru, he had a key to his apartment and spent most of his free time there. He knew the older man was doing something of questionable legality for money and must’ve been doing something to keep himself off the police’s radar. He knew he received a lot of phone calls he had to take in private. He also knew that the older man was attracted to him, but seemed to be waiting for Itachi to make the first move or something. He didn’t really understand that one, but he was extremely grateful for it. He was also extremely grateful that Orochimaru hadn’t noticed when his eighteenth birthday had come and gone.

After six months Orochimaru started dropping hints that Itachi should move in with him. He pretended not to understand those and the other man didn’t push too much--at first. But then he noticed more people following him home at night. And then his apartment had gotten trashed a few times. So he accepted the next time Orochimaru offered and hoped the older man couldn’t tell how reluctant he was.

His room with Orochimaru was much bigger than his apartment had been and the bed was actually comfortable. He often found snakes in his room though which was concerning, but he guessed it was better than finding Orochimaru in his room. He still went to work most nights, so he didn’t see the older man that much more than he used to. But he was able to hear a lot more as the apartment walls were thin. He figured out that Orochimaru was involved in the cocaine trade in the city. He also figured out that there was someone he had to report to about his dealings. Itachi didn’t have any names yet, but he figured it was only a matter of time now that he was living with the other man. He just hoped it would be soon because he knew playing dumb about the other man’s advances wasn’t going to last much longer. Orochimaru already knew exactly how smart Itachi was and he wasn’t a very patient man.

****

Some nights Itachi came back to an empty apartment. He had a feeling Orochimaru was ‘at work’ on those nights, but he still didn’t know where that was. On those nights he always heard him come back late with Kabuto. It was one of those nights, but unlike usual Itachi could hear Orochimaru hissing furiously at Kabuto. “I need you to figure out who messed this up, and I need you to figure it out  _ now _ .” 

“Of course, Orochimaru. It won’t happen again.” Itachi slowly crept to his door so he could press his ear against it. 

“It  _ can’t _ happen again or everything will be ruined. I’ll need to demonstrate exactly what I mean when I say mistakes will not be tolerated.” 

“I’ll assemble everyone tomorrow.”

“No. We’ll have to wait until Sasori finishes his visit. They’ll have him watching me more closely for now, and we cannot afford anymore mistakes.” 

“Of course, Orochimaru.”

“But when you do find out who’s responsible, I need you to bring them to me directly. Understood?” Kabuto must’ve nodded because he didn’t hear him say anything, but he did hear the door open and close again. He also heard footsteps come closer and then immediately stop outside of his door. He had less than a minute to quickly and quietly dash towards his bed once he noticed the doorknob turning. He was breathing too heavily to try and feign sleep, so he tousled his hair and tried to look like he just woke up. He squinted over at the door when it was opened. 

“Orochimaru?” He kept his voice low and hoped he sounded half-asleep. “Is everything okay?” 

“I’m sorry Itachi, I didn’t mean to wake you.” He walked into the room and over to the younger man. “Everything’s alright. Just a little trouble at work.” He started to caress the top of Itachi’s head the same way he did with his snakes. “Nothing for you to worry about.” 

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Orochimaru’s hand moved to cup his cheek, and his heart froze for a moment. 

“Such a sweet boy.” The tip of his thumb brushed up against Itachi’s lower lip. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if Orochimaru actually tried to kiss him right now. It would be suspicious and probably dangerous if he didn’t allow him to, but he wasn’t sure he’d be able to let him do it without gagging. “There might be something.” He started to lean down, and Itachi closed his eyes as if that would stop it from happening. 

He thanked every single god he had ever heard of when Orochimaru’s phone rang. Whatever had happened must’ve been huge because the older man immediately pulled away to answer it. “Yes?” Orochimaru walked out of the room without even looking back at him. He waited a minute before getting up to shut his door. Then he climbed back into his bed, pulled his knees to his chest, and tucked his head against them. He stayed like that until his heart wasn’t racing anymore. 

Itachi didn’t sleep at all that night.


	5. Chapter 5

Orochimaru didn’t try to kiss him again, but he was always right by Itachi’s side when they were both at the apartment. He started taking on some extra hours at work just to have more time to himself. But sometimes it was unavoidable--like now as Orochimaru was pressed up against him on the couch telling him about some rare snake he was trying to buy. When he heard the apartment buzzer, he immediately sprang up and offered to get it. He had no idea who’d be trying to come up, but even Kabuto was better than being alone with him.

Itachi had never seen the man on the other side of the door before. He was a head shorter with red hair and a blank, doll-like face. He had on a black leather jacket with red, cloud-shaped patches sewn onto it. Orochimaru had one just like it. “Where’s Orochimaru?” His voice was perfectly flat like he didn’t care about the answer either way.

“Living room.” The man walked in without waiting for an invite and then walked right past Itachi.

“Thanks. Don’t follow me.” Itachi didn’t. He went back to his room, shut the door, and then pressed his ear against it. He could barely hear the man’s footsteps as he walked through the apartment. 

“Oh Sasori, what a surprise. I do wish you would let me know about your visits.” Itachi could hear the tightly restrained anger in Orochimaru’s voice and was glad he couldn’t see him at that moment. 

“Then that would defeat the purpose of them.” 

“I suppose. It’s just that I was in the middle of something.” He heard something shift and assumed the man had sat down.

“The kid will still be here when I leave.” Itachi realized they were talking about him and felt his face flush. 

“Of course. So what do you need today?” 

Sasori must’ve been more cautious or just more quiet because Itachi didn’t hear anything else he said. He’d hear Orochimaru respond to something every so often, but it didn’t make any sense without the rest of the conversation. It wasn’t really anything yet, but he had a feeling that meeting Sasori was the start of something. 

****

Itachi started to see Sasori around more frequently. He never really spoke to Itachi or in front of him, but he was able to figure out that he was there to keep an eye on Orochimaru. The older man must’ve messed up something big. He also figured out that Sasori was curious about him, even though the other man never spoke to him. He heard him ask Orochimaru questions that the older man answered vaguely. Orochimaru was also very careful to never say Itachi’s name in front of Sasori. 

He even saw the other man at work sometimes, but he never said anything to Itachi there either. He assumed Sasori was trying to find out if he was related to whatever problem Orochimaru caused. Itachi still hadn’t heard either of them say ‘Akatsuki’, but it was starting to seem likely that they were both part of that group. He just needed to find a way to spend more time with Sasori without either man getting too suspicious. 

In the end it was actually Orochimaru who helped him entirely by accident. They were going somewhere to eat when Orochimaru got a call from Kabuto. The older man looked annoyed and told Itachi they’d need to take a brief detour. They drove to a nondescript building and Orochimaru told him to wait in the car. He did for about ten minutes, but then Kabuto came out to get him. “Orochimaru thinks you’ll be of some use.” He said it like he didn’t agree with it. Itachi had no idea if he’d be or not.

The inside of the building was full of furniture that looked unused. From what he could see it was empty. He followed Kabuto to an unmarked door and then followed him down some dimly-lit stairs. He followed him through another unmarked door at the bottom of the stairs. That room was brightly lit, full of people, and full of cocaine. Orochimaru immediately walked over to them. “Itachi, I’ll answer whatever questions you have later. Right now I need you to fix something for me, okay?” He grabbed Itachi’s arm before he could answer and led him over to an odd-looking machine. He had absolutely no idea what it was for, but he guessed it was somehow involved in the packaging process. “Can you fix this?” He pointed to a part of the machine with an open panel full of wires and circuity.

“Maybe. I need a flashlight and maybe some tweezers?” Someone actually passed him some tweezers which was surprising and someone else passed their phone with the flashlight on. He wasn’t sure what the inside of the machine was supposed to look like, but he knew enough about basic circuit boards to try out a few things.

After messing around for a bit, Itachi did _something_ that made the machine start beeping. Someone started pressing buttons on the other side of the machine and it seemed to be working again based on the collective sigh of relief he heard. “Oh _Itachi_.” Orochimaru placed a hand on his lower back and an involuntary shiver ran through his body. “I know you’d be able to do something.”

“I’m glad I could help.” Orochimaru smiled at him widely.

Fixing that machine must’ve meant something to Orochimaru because he started bringing Itachi to ‘work’ with him more often. Most of the time he just sat around while the older man checked on everything, but sometimes he’d ask about Itachi’s thoughts on certain things. So it was inevitable that Sasori would see him there. “I thought you said he’s not involved.” He looked at Itachi and Orochimaru with his usual blank face. Orochimaru’s face looked a bit panicked. 

“And he wasn’t...when I said that.” 

“But now he is.” He walked over to them slowly. “Which means that now I’m involved.” He looked over at Itachi. It looked like he was about to say something else, but Orochimaru beat him to it.

“Go wait outside.” He looked at Itachi as he said it. Itachi didn’t want to, but there wasn’t any reason for him not to listen. He nodded and turned to leave. Sasori grabbed his arm before he could.

“Not yet. What’s your name kid?” 

“Itachi Uchiha.” He heard Orochimaru hiss behind him. Sasori looked at his face, tilted his head, and then kept looking at his face.

“Uchiha, huh.” He let go of Itachi’s arm. “I’ll be seeing you again soon.” Itachi wanted to stay, but felt like he was just dismissed. So he went outside and waited for Orochimaru. 

Orochimaru didn’t say anything to him about Sasori’s visit, but he was annoyed with him for the rest of the night. 

****

He saw Sasori again soon after that. The other man showed up to the apartment every night for a week and asked Itachi a lot of questions. Orochimaru looked more and more annoyed each night he showed up. At first the questions were all about Itachi and it was clear that Sasori had looked him up and found everything out that he could. Then the questions started to feel like he was being tested. Sasori asked him how he would transport something ‘questionable’ discreetly, how he’d incapacitate someone quietly from behind, where he’d place a camera in a crowded restaurant to get the clearest shot of the room, and what he’d need for a homemade explosive. He answered each of the questions thoughtfully and carefully. Sasori’s face almost always remained blank, so he couldn’t tell if his answers were good or not.

The only time something close to an expression crossed Sasori’s face was when he was looking at Itachi together with Orochimaru. He almost looked curious, and Itachi could understand why. Orochimaru used every available excuse to touch Itachi or press up against him, and Itachi used every available excuse to pull away. He lived with Orochimaru, went almost everywhere with him, but jerked away from his touch. Itachi knew it made him look suspicious to both men, but Orochimaru’s touch made his skin crawl. He’d rather have his cover blown than give the older man what he wanted. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The deus ex machina machine because I couldn't think of any better reason for Itachi to be there.


	6. Chapter 6

Orochimaru still came to Matatabi frequently. He usually came alone or with Kabuto, so Itachi noticed right away when he was there with two other people. He wasn’t close enough to tell for sure, but it looked like one of them was Sasori and the other was someone new. He headed over to the table as soon as he could.

When he was closer he could see the usual blank look on Sasori’s face and thinly veiled anger on Orochimaru’s. He looked over at the third person and felt his heart skip a beat. Even though the man was sitting down, Itachi could tell that he was much taller than himself. His shoulders were broad and his arms were huge. He was wearing the same leather jacket with red, cloud-shaped patches that Orochimaru and Sasori had, but his was stretched tight across his biceps. His hair was dyed a dark blue color, and he had three scars under each of his eyes. Itachi was looking at him so intensely that almost didn’t notice the man looking back. When he did notice he felt himself flush, which made the man grin. Itachi then noticed that his teeth were sharpened and felt his face get even redder. He felt something he couldn’t name, but knew he had never felt before.

“Itachi!” He almost jumped at Orochimaru’s sharp voice. When he looked over at the older man it was clear he had called his name at least a few times.

“I’m sorry. I...uh..was lost in thought.” Sasori was looking between him and the other man in disbelief. It was the first clear expression Itachi had ever seen on his face. “Would you like your usual drink, Orochimaru?” 

“Yes.” His voice was terse.

“Gin and tonic, Sasori?” He had never waited on him before, but it was the only thing he had ever seen the other man order at the bar.

“Yes.” His voice was flat as usual, but he was still looking at Itachi in disbelief. Itachi looked at the last man again and hoped he didn’t look too eager.

“And for you….?”

“Kisame.” He looked as eager as Itachi felt as he held out his hand. Itachi immediately took it with his own and noticed how calloused it felt. He also noticed how warm it was and let go with reluctance. “What do you recommend, Itachi?” He was smiling at Itachi in a way that made his heart miss a beat again.

“I--”

“I can recommend something while Itachi puts our drinks in. I’m sure he has some other tables to look after too.” Itachi rolled his eyes and hoped Orochimaru couldn’t see in the dim light. When he was here alone he was never concerned with any of Itachi’s other tables.

“Of course.” Kisame grinned good-naturedly and winked at Itachi. He blushed again and left the table without saying anything else. 

He did give the bartender their drink orders and then checked on some of his other tables. Itachi tried to be as polite and attentive as he could, but he kept looking back up at Orochimaru’s usual table. He couldn’t even really see it well, but he couldn’t stop looking at it. When he finished his rounds at the other tables, he rushed back to the bar. “Drinks for 10 ready?” 

“Yeah, yeah. I’ve got your sugar daddy’s drink right here.” Itachi grimaced.

“He’s  _ not _ my sugar daddy.” The bartender gave him a look.

“Does  _ he _ know that?” Itachi grimaced again, but couldn’t answer. The bartender gave him the drinks with another look. He took them, turned, and was immediately facing a broad chest. He tilted his head back and saw Kisame’s sharp grin.

“I thought it’d be easier if I grabbed something myself while you were busy.” He held up a glass of something to show Itachi. “Mind if I walk back with you?”

“Not at all.” He couldn’t stop the small smile from creeping onto his face. He also couldn’t stop looking at Kisame from the corner of his eye. His stomach felt weightless each time they made eye contact.

Orochimaru glared at Kisame when they made it back to the table. Itachi tried not to make eye contact with him as he handed out the two drinks. “Can I get you guys anything else right now?” 

“Your num--” Sasori elbowed Kisame sharply in the side before he could finish whatever he was saying. It was pretty clear to everyone what he was saying though and Itachi tried to fight down his blush. 

“No.” Itachi nodded, stole another glance at Kisame, and then went to check on his other tables. He heard Orochimaru hiss out something as he left, but it wasn’t clear enough to make out any of the words. 

Itachi checked on their table more often than he needed to throughout the night. Each time he came over, Kisame smiled at him in a way that said he knew exactly what Itachi was doing. Itachi  _ knew  _ he was being obvious and ridiculous, but he couldn't stop. He liked the weird feeling he got every time Kisame smiled at him. He tried not to look over at Orochimaru too much though because he didn't like the weird feeling the older man's looks were giving him. 

At some point Orochimaru must've gotten an important text or something because he left in a rush. He made sure to pull Itachi aside before leaving the bar though. “Itachi, you need to go directly home after your shift. Do you understand?”

“I always go directly home. What’s wrong?” Orochimaru quickly glanced back at the table where Sasori and Kisame were still sitting.

“Nothing’s wrong. I just want you to be careful. Sasori and Kisame are dangerous, and you shouldn’t be alone with them.  _ Especially _ not Kisame. Do you understand?”

“I do.” And he did. He knew exactly why the older man didn’t want him to be alone with Kisame. Orochimaru looked like he didn’t believe him, but he didn’t say anything else. He just tucked a piece of hair behind Itachi’s ear and then left. Itachi had to take five deep breaths before going back to work. 

Sasori left soon after Orochimaru. He didn’t say anything to Itachi, but he did wave goodbye which was surprising. Kisame winked at him when he came up to the table. “Just you and me left, Itachi.”

“Planning to stay here all night?” He started clearing off the empty glasses so he’d have an excuse to move closer to the other man.

“Just until your shift’s over.” His breathing hitched for a second. “When is it over anyway?” 

“About 30 more minutes.” Kisame smiled widely, finished his drink, and then held out his empty glass to Itachi.

“Then can I get another one of these?” He made sure their fingers brushed when he took the glass.

“Of course.” 

Itachi made sure to only go back up to Kisame’s table to give him his drink and pay out the tab at the end of his shift. He knew if he went up for anything else he wouldn’t be able to leave. He rushed through closing up his other tabs and his tips reflected his inattentiveness and impatience. But he didn’t care. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt excited like this for anything. As soon as he finished clocking out, he rushed outside. Kisame was waiting just beside the door with a large grin. Itachi was struck again by how sharp his teeth looked. He wondered if they were sharp enough to get cut by them. “You mind if I walk you back?” 

“Not at all.” Itachi started walking towards the apartment, and Kisame followed just behind him. They walked in silence at first, both glancing at each other frequently from the corner of their eyes. Then Kisame cleared his throat and looked at Itachi sheepishly. 

“I hate liars and I hate lying, so I need to be honest with you.” Itachi stopped walking and looked up at Kisame. “I came here tonight to talk to you for work-related reasons. But I’d also like to talk to you for not work reasons.” 

“Oh?” 

“I’m attracted to you.” He looked Itachi up and down. “Very attracted to you.” Itachi blushed, but met Kisame’s eyes.

“I think I’m attracted to you too.” 

“Only think?” His voice was light and teasing. Itachi’s face got hotter, and he had to look away from the other man.

“Well I’ve never been attracted to anyone else before. So I’m pretty sure I am.” Kisame laughed, but not at Itachi. It was a throaty laugh and it made Itachi's stomach feel weightless.

“Then I think I’m flattered." He smiled widely and then had a more serious look. "But business before pleasure. I've heard that you're pretty smart, so I'm guessing you already know what we need to talk about."

"I think so. You and Sasori work with Orochimaru on  _ something _ , which I now know more about. You need to make sure I'm not an undercover or a competitor or anything else." He thought about Sasori's almost curious face watching him and Orochimaru. "Especially with the odd nature of my relationship with Orochimaru." Kisame raised an eyebrow at that. 

"You're right. And I'll admit I'm  _ very _ curious about your relationship with him. What I heard and what I saw don't match up." 

"Well I hate him." Itachi had thought it to himself often, but it felt freeing to say it aloud to someone else. "He used to work with my father, but then he disappeared one day. I hadn't thought about him at all until almost a year ago when I ran into him after work. It was obvious what he wanted from me, but I wasn't interested so I pretended not to notice." Itachi remembered that night and shivered involuntarily. 

"Here." Kisame shrugged out of his jacket and held it out to Itachi. 

"Thank you." It was huge on Itachi, but it was warm and smelled like the ocean. "He started coming to the bar almost every day, walking me home, and giving me gifts." He gestured to his clothes. "Then he basically forced me into moving in with him. He had people break into my apartment, steal my things, and follow me home until I accepted his offer. So now I live with him and pretend like I can't tell that he wants me." Kisame made a noise that could've been understanding. 

"Why don't you leave?" Itachi had to think quickly as he couldn't give the real answer. 

"I have a brother. I haven't seen him in almost two years, but he still means the world to me. And Orochimaru knows that. He hasn't  _ said _ that he'd do anything to him, but he just asks so many questions about him. And I can't risk Sasuke." Itachi's voice broke without him forcing it to. "I  _ can't _ ." Kisame made the noise again.

"Did your father ever tell you anything about Orochimaru after he disappeared?" Itachi shook his head. 

"Just that I should let him know if I ever saw Orochimaru anywhere." Kisame sighed and pulled out his phone.

"So when we did a search on you it pulled in the police report on Orochimaru after he ran. Sasori was pretty sure you hadn't known about it." He handed the phone to Itachi. "It's...uh..not great." 

'Not great' was an understatement. It had the technical report detailing whatever it was that Orochimaru had done. Then it was full of pictures of the man's apartment and labs. Then it was full of pictures of Itachi when he was younger. They were all clearly taken without him noticing. Some were pictures of him at the park with Sasuke. Some were pictures of him in school. Some were pictures of him alone in his room at home. After the pictures were scans of journal pages. His heart felt like it might explode as he read them. Some of the pages detailed his daily schedules. Some of them talked about how smooth his skin looked and all of Orochimaru's different ideas as to how to preserve it after he died. Some of them talked about how he wanted to keep Itachi in a cage with his snakes so all of his pets would be in one place. The last page in the file was the lead detective's notes on the case. Among that was the suggestion of using Itachi as bait with the note 'ran it by Fugaku Uchiha and got permission' with it. His hand shook as he gave the phone back to Kisame.

He tried to take a deep breath, but choked on the lump in his throat. He covered his face with his hands and tried not to cry or throw up or both. At some point Kisame started rubbing circles on his back. His hand felt warm even through the thick jacket. "I'm sorry Itachi." He moved his hands from his face, took a shaky breath, and then shook his head.

"No, it's okay. I'm glad you showed me. I wish my father had years ago, but I guess stuff like this was why I left." He took another shaky breath and tried to smile at the other man. "Thank you Kisame." The other man was still rubbing circles on his back, and it felt nice.

"If...if you don't want to go back there, you can stay at my place tonight. Just to have a place! I know you just read all that and I already said I was attracted to you and I probably look like a creep, but I promise I wouldn't do anything. And you'd be a room away with a lockable door." Kisame was blushing, and Itachi realized all at once that he  _ was  _ attracted to him.

"You don't look like a creep. I appreciate the offer and would very much like to take you up on it." He tried smiling again and had a feeling it worked this time. “Lead the way?” Kisame grinned and used the hand on Itachi’s back to turn him around. They started walking back towards the bar. 

Kisame didn’t seem to mind carrying the conversation as they walked, which Itachi appreciated. He also kept his hand on Itachi’s back, which he also appreciated. Kisame was telling him something about sharks that he was only half paying attention to, but he liked hearing the other man’s voice. It felt like an anchor with all of the things he was desperately trying not to think about. 

They had just passed by Matatabi again when an old Cadillac pulled over to the curb right in front of them. “Itachi!” He jumped at Orochimaru’s voice and felt Kisame’s arm wrap around his waist. The older man was looking at them darkly through the car’s open window. Itachi thought about everything he had just read and swallowed down his nausea.

“Hi Orochimaru. Is everything okay?” His voice was steady even though his heart was racing.

“I’m not sure. Kabuto told me you still hadn’t made it home, and I got worried. I’m only more worried now that I’m sure you weren’t listening to what I told you earlier.” He looked pointedly at the arm Kisame still had around his waist. The arm tightened slightly, and Itachi leaned into it.

“I was listening. I just didn’t agree with it.” Orochimaru frowned. 

“It’s a dangerous thing not to agree with.” The arm tightened again. “Get in the car, and I’ll take you home.” 

“I can walk him home. I’m sure you’re still busy with whatever Yahiko needed.” Kisame’s voice was light, but his smile looked dangerous. 

“That’s alright. Taking him back won’t take very long.” Orochimaru’s smile also looked dangerous. “Itachi.” He didn’t want to, but he pulled away from Kisame. After reading that police report, he had a feeling Orochimaru would do something drastic if he didn’t get in the car. He started to take off the jacket, but Kisame stopped him.

“Keep it. I’ll get it back next time I see you.” 

“Thank you.” He gave him a small smile and then got into the car with Orochimaru. The older man didn’t say anything, but grabbed Itachi’s knee and held it tightly for the entire drive back. He stayed silent when he dropped Itachi off. 

Itachi kept the jacket on when he went to bed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enter Kisame!!! He became one of my favorite characters based on his 5 minutes of backstory. 
> 
> Also they're into each other at first sight because I'm not good at writing anything else and that's how I am in my own life! I pretty much know if I like someone immediately


	7. Chapter 7

Orochimaru was waiting for him in the kitchen the next morning. He looked angry, and Itachi regretted going back with him the night before. “Sit.” He did. “You didn’t listen to me last night.” It wasn’t a question, but he had a feeling Orochimaru expected him to answer.

“I didn’t.” 

“And why not?” Out of the corner of his eye, Itachi could see one of Orochimaru’s favorite snakes sliding closer to him.

“I was curious.” The snake started climbing up the chair he was sitting in.

“That was it?” Itachi nodded. “Tell me, do you know anything about Kisame?” Itachi shook his head because he didn’t really. “Do you know what they call him?” He shook his head again. “The Monster of the Mist. Tell me, how do you think he got that name?”

“I don’t know.” The snake slid into his lap so he started petting it gently. He tried to keep his eyes on both Orochimaru and the snake as this one was known to bite.

“No you don’t. But  _ I _ know how. He’s a professional killer with more bodies to his name than I can count. He’s  _ dangerous _ , Itachi. I’m just trying to keep you safe, so you need to trust me. Understood?” He winced as the snake bit him.

“Understood.” The snake slid off of his lap. 

“Good. Now I think you should quit your job.” As he spoke, Orochimaru leaned across the table to pull Itachi’s hand into both of his. He looked at the bite, which was bleeding slightly. 

“Why?” He brought Itachi’s hand close to his mouth and then licked off the blood. Itachi shivered in disgust. 

“That part of the city isn’t safe. And you don’t need to work--not while I can take care of you.” The older man was still holding his hand, and he wanted to yank it back. 

“But you already do so much for me.” He twisted the hand in Orochimaru’s grasp so he could grab the other man’s hand. “I promise I’ll be careful and take your advice more seriously.” 

“Itachi…” 

“Please Orochimaru.” He tried to mimic the pleading looks Sasuke used to give him as he looked at the older man. Orochimaru looked back at him and then sighed loudly.

“How can I say no to that face.” He dropped Itachi’s hand, but then reached out to cup his cheek. “But you have to promise me that you won’t go seeking out the Monster of the Mist.”

“I promise.” 

Itachi didn’t go looking for Kisame, but he did keep his eye out for him. He also kept wearing his jacket. It had been a week since they had met, but he hadn’t seen him again. He did see people following him to and from work every night though. Like before, they started following at a distance that decreased each night. Itachi wasn’t afraid of them, but now he couldn’t stop thinking about all the things Orochimaru had written in his journals. He was afraid of those. 

One week and a day after he promised Orochimaru he’d be more careful, the men that had been following him approached him. They cornered him in an alley on his way back from work. There were four of them, and they were all wearing ski masks. Itachi rolled his eyes at the predictability of it. “Give us everything you’ve got!” None of them were holding any weapons out, which meant they hoped he’d be intimidated by the number of them. He wasn’t.

“No.” He took a few steps closer to the one who spoke. “Either leave or get ready.”

“Get ready?” He heard one of the other men whisper it, but no one left. 

Itachi smiled to himself briefly and then moved. He quickly punched the man in front of him in his solar plexus and then turned to kick the man behind him. The other two men finally moved and both threw themselves at him at the same time. He twisted out of the way and elbowed one of the men in the back. He darted out of the way before rushing at the first man again. This time he punched him in the nose, before pushing him over onto the ground. Then he brought his hands together and used them like a club to get one of the other men in the back of the head. The last two men rushed him again, and he dodged again. One tripped over his own feet, so Itachi brought a knee hard up against his face. The last one hoped to surprise him in that moment, but was too loud in his approach. Itachi ducked out of the way of the punch and brought a palm up hard against the man’s extended elbow. He heard something crack. He quickly threw the man to the ground and then stomped on his face hard enough to crack something else. 

The entire fight only lasted about fifteen minutes. The four men all laid on the ground seemingly unconscious. Itachi didn’t look under their masks to keep the illusion that he didn’t know them already. “Impressive.” He smiled as he recognized Kisame’s voice.

“Not really. None of them knew how to fight very well.” Kisame walked further into the alley and looked at the men on the ground. 

“You sound disappointed. Hoping for a good fight?” His grin was just as sharp as Itachi remembered.

“Yes. Or at least something worth the effort.” Kisame laughed, and his stomach felt weightless.

“We could fight and see who’d come out on top.” It took him a second to realize the other man was flirting. He walked over to Kisame and looked up at his face.

“Only if you think you’ll last for more than fifteen minutes.” Kisame’s smile grew. 

“Baby, I could last all night.” Itachi blushed, but also started to lean closer to the other man. “Got anywhere you need to be?” 

“No.” Kisame started to lean closer too.

“Actually--” One of the men on the ground started to sit up. He pulled off the mask, and Itachi recognized him right away. “Boss wanted to see you at headquarters.” Itachi sighed and walked over to him. 

“I’m guessing you were planning to tell me  _ after _ you mugged me. Right Kidōmaru?” He put a foot on Kidōmaru’s chest and pushed him back onto the ground.

“Uh…” 

“Let me guess, you guys were planning to mug me, take a lap around the block, and then find me all shaken and offer to drive me to Orochimaru. Does that sound right?” Kidōmaru nodded slowly. “Sounds like a pathetic plan to me.” He pressed his foot harder against the man’s chest. “What do you think Orochimaru will say about this incompetence?” 

“Please don’t tell him.” He sounded scared.

“Hmm.” He pressed his foot down harder and looked over at Kisame. “What do you think? Should I let him off the hook?” Kisame grinned sharply, and Itachi could almost see how he’d be considered dangerous. 

“Only if he can do something for you.” He looked back down at Kidōmaru.

“What do you think? Is there something you can do for me?” Kidōmaru nodded quickly.

“I won’t tell the boss that you met with him.” He gestured over to Kisame. 

“Oh? Were you going to?” He nodded again.

“Yeah. He told us to let him know if we ever saw you guys together.” He pressed his foot down one more time before taking it off the other man’s chest.

“Then you have a deal.” He walked back over to Kisame. “Do not follow me.” 

“Tayuya’s nearby with the car. She can still give you a ride.”

“I think I’d rather walk.” Itachi walked out of the alley with Kisame following him closely. He sighed and looked up at the other man. “Guess I do have somewhere to be.” 

“Mind if I walk with you?” Itachi smiled up at him. 

“Not at all.” 

They talked about meaningless things as they walked together. Their hands brushed up against each other often. It was the first time Itachi felt something close to relaxed since leaving his parents’ home. He started to slow his pace whenever they got closer to Orochimaru’s headquarters. Kisame didn’t mention it, but also slowed his pace. 

When he could see the building, Itachi stopped walking and turned to Kisame. “I should probably walk the rest of the way alone. Thank you.” He started to take off the jacket so he could give it back when Kisame stopped him again.

“Keep it. I’ll be seeing you again soon.” He looked Itachi over once. “Besides, it looks better on you.” He took a step back, but Itachi grabbed his shirt before he could take another. He pulled so Kisame had to lean down, and then he leaned up and kissed him. It was a bit awkward because Kisame wasn’t expecting it, and Itachi had never kissed anyone before. But it felt less awkward as soon as Kisame threaded a hand in his hair and kissed back. 

Kisame smiled widely at him when he pulled back. “Was that your first kiss?” Itachi blushed and turned away quickly.

“That obvious?” Kisame laughed, but not unkindly.

“No. It was a good kiss. Wouldn’t mind another.” He kissed him again quickly. 

“Goodbye Kisame. I’ll see you soon.” He walked away from the other man even though he didn’t really want to.

Orochimaru didn’t even need him for anything. As soon as he walked in, the older man fawned over him and asked if he was alright. Itachi told him everything was fine and just sat there for the rest of the night. He kept touching his lips and hoped Orochimaru couldn’t tell why he was smiling. 

****

Itachi spent a lot of time thinking everything over. Now that he had met Kisame and Sasori he should’ve been thinking about how to contact his father or Danzo. But he didn’t really want to. He actually really liked not living under his father’s thumb. He also now knew that his father used him as bait  _ twice _ and he also knew exactly what kind of man Orochimaru really was. And then there was Kisame. He had only seen him twice, but he  _ liked  _ seeing him. Kisame was nice and attractive and part of the Akatsuki. Itachi wasn’t really sure what to do anymore.

Orochimaru was having him watched closely, but there was someone he needed to talk to. He spent thirty minutes after work sneaking around the city to lose the men following him. Once he was sure he lost them, he found a working payphone. He dialed a number he had committed to memory a long time ago and hoped it was still the right one. 

“Hello?” His breathing hitched at that familiar voice. “Hello?”

“Shisui.” His voice was shaky. “Is this an okay time?”

“Itachi!” Shisui’s voice also sounded shaky. “I’m so glad you’re not dead.” Itachi laughed and it sounded watery.

“Yeah, I am too.” He tried to picture Shisui’s face. “I really miss you, Shisui.” 

“I miss you too. Can’t you come back?” Shisui’s voice was still shaky.

“I can’t and I don’t want to.”

“Why not?” He thought about the police report and Kisame.

“A lot of different reasons I actually need your advice on some of it.” 

"Are you in danger?"

"No. Well not really. I think I like someone."

"What do you mean not really?!" Shisui's voice reached a pitch he had never heard before. 

“I mean I’m  _ technically _ in a dangerous situation, but I’m handling it.” 

“Is the person you think you like part of this dangerous situation?” His voice was still at that weird pitch. 

“No. Well not really.” 

“Itachi!” Shisui’s voice reached a completely new pitch. “Where are you? I’m coming to get you.” 

“No, it’s not safe for you. Shisui--” Itachi wished he could’ve seen his cousin just for that moment. “--I promise you I’m okay. I’m not in any serious danger and I’ll try my best to avoid getting into any. Now I need your help sorting out my feelings. Okay?” He heard Shisui laugh, and it sounded watery.

“Okay.” He laughed again. “I can’t believe you actually want my advice with a crush. I never thought this day would come.”

“Yeah well I didn’t either. I was surprised.”

“What are they like?” Itachi pulled the jacket tighter around himself and thought about Kisame. 

“He’s tall with big arms, and I’m attracted to him. He’s been kind to me and told me things he thought I should know. And...he makes me feel safe.”

“It sounds like you like him. Do you want to kiss him?” He blushed and was glad that Shisui couldn’t see him.

“I already did.” Shisui made a noise of surprise.

“Do you want to again?” 

“Yes.” Shisui made another noise.

“Well it sounds like you really like him to me.” 

“What if…” Itachi lowered his voice even though he was still alone. “What if being with him meant giving up on what father wanted me to do.” 

“Oh?  _ Oh _ .” He could tell that Shisui pieced together everything he had said and everything he hadn’t said and understood exactly what it all meant.

“I had been thinking of giving it up before and I’ve learned certain things recently that have made me lose any trust I still had in my father. But what if giving up is the wrong choice?” 

“So what if it is? Itachi--” He could picture Shisui’s concerned face perfectly. “--you should do what  _ you _ want. You’ve always done things because someone else wants you to, and I just want you to do something you chose on your own for once.”

“Even if it’s something like this?”

“Yeah, even something like this.” Itachi wanted to hug his cousin, but he settled for wrapping his own arm tightly around himself.

“Thank you Shisui. I’ve got to go, but look after Sasuke for me okay?” 

“Of course. Be safe Itachi.” He hung up before Shisui could say anything else. 

Itachi thought about everything Shisui said along with everything else as he walked back to Orochimaru’s apartment. 


	8. Chapter 8

Orochimaru wouldn’t tell him where they were going. The older man looked annoyed, which worried Itachi. He tried to ask questions, but Orochimaru wouldn’t answer any of them. So he kept silent and kept his hand in his pocket with the switchblade. They eventually parked in some part of the city Itachi only vaguely recognized. 

“Itachi.” The older man looked serious. “Only answer direct questions and don’t offer up any information. Understood?”

“I understand.” Orochimaru nodded once and then got out of the car. Itachi followed him out of the car and over to a church. It was ten o’clock at night and so the church was empty. They walked down the aisle, past all the pews, and past the altar. They walked into a room in the back that had chairs set up in a large circle. There were already four other people in the room. Sitting together was a man with dark red hair that covered his eyes, a man with bright orange hair and a lot of piercings, and a woman with light blue hair and an origami rose pinned to her ponytail. They were all wearing a leather jacket with red, cloud-shaped patches. 

“Hey Itachi.” Kisame was the fourth person in the room. He was smiling at him in the way that made his stomach feel weightless.

“Hello Kisame.” Itachi would’ve walked over to him if Orochimaru wasn’t gripping his arm tightly. Instead they looked each other over slowly. Kisame’s eyes lingered on his jacket, which Itachi was still wearing everywhere.

“Wow, Sasori really wasn’t exaggerating about the cartoon hearts.” Itachi felt his entire face turn red all at once and he snapped his gaze back over to the other three people in the room. They were smiling at him good-naturedly, but Orochimaru’s grip got tighter on his arm. 

“I apologize for my manners. I’m--”

“Itachi Uchiha.” The orange haired man’s voice was deeper than he had expected. “We’ve been excited to meet you. To make it easier on all of us, we’ll introduce ourselves after everyone else gets here.” Itachi nodded once. “Please, have a seat.” Orochimaru started to pull him towards some chairs.

“Ah.” The woman held up a hand. “I’d like him to sit with me. You know, so we can have some time for girl talk before the meeting.” She smiled at them pleasantly. 

“Of course, Konan.” Orochimaru’s smile back was strained, but he let go of Itachi. He went over and sat next to Konan. She pulled a bag out from under her chair and turned so they were facing each other. 

“I was hoping you could paint my nails while we got to know each other.”

“Of course.” She smiled at him and then handed him a bottle of dark red and a bottle of bright orange.

“Red for left and then orange for right.” He placed her left hand on his knee and opened the red bottle. “Thought we could hit all the good questions first, like: what’s your star sign; when was the last time you spoke to your father; any boys you like; and who did you call from that payphone the other night?” Her voice was light and pleasant, so it took Itachi a minute to really understand the last question. His heart started racing when he did. 

“Itachi?” Orochimaru’s voice was low and dangerous. Itachi didn’t look over at him, but focused on painting Konan’s nails.

“Gemini. Two years ago when he told me I wouldn’t be able to just walk back in if I walked out that door. And my cousin.” He closed the red bottle, put her right hand on his other knee, and opened the orange bottle. “I needed to talk to him about a boy I like.”

“Why didn’t you talk to me about it, Itachi?” Orochimaru sounded angry and still sounded dangerous. He still didn’t look over at him. 

“I’ve always asked him for advice with everything. And I...I missed him.” He closed the orange bottle and reopened the red one to do a second coat. 

“Did he give you good advice?” She sounded genuinely curious. 

“Yeah. He was really helpful.” He closed the red bottle and reopened the orange for the second coat. 

"I noticed you skipped one of my questions, but I have a feeling that the boy you like is in the room. So I'll give you a pass on that one." She winked at him. "I'm a Pisces. I never met my father, so we never spoke. These two guys are both mine." She gestured to the two men sitting behind her. "And the last person I talked to over the phone was also asking for advice about a boy he likes." She held up her hands to look at her nails more closely. "Good job. You have very steady hands."

"Thank you." She very carefully put the bottles back in the bag and pulled out two more. One was the same shade of purple as the eyeliner Orochimaru always wore and the other was the same shade of dark blue as Kisame's hair.

"Which one for yours?" They both knew what she was really asking. He pointed to the blue bottle. She smiled widely at him. "Good choice." She put the purple bottle back, put his hands on her knees, and started painting his nails. She was careful not to smudge her own nails.

He noticed a few other people enter the room as Konan painted his nails. One was Sasori and the other two were men he had never seen before. They looked at him curiously, but neither one said anything. Sasori didn't say anything to him, but did address the orange haired man. "Can't we just get started? You know I hate waiting, and Deidara and Zetsu are always late."

"I am not!" A man with long blonde hair burst into the room as he shouted. "Being exactly on time isn't late, Sasori." He looked around the room once and then looked excited when he saw Konan and Itachi. "Oh! Paint mine next!" He slipped into the seat on the other side of Itachi. 

"Sure. What color do you want?" She finished the second coat on Itachi's nails and gestured for them to switch seats. They did.

"Baby blue." She held out a bottle, which he took and then turned to show Itachi. "Matches my eyes, right?" Itachi looked at his eyes closely and then looked at the bottle. 

"It does. It's a nice shade of blue." He smiled and then handed the bottle back to Konan.

"Oi! I didn't know we were allowed to talk to him!" One of the men Itachi didn't know was gesturing to him. 

"You didn't ask." Konan was already painting the blonde man's nails and didn't even look up to answer. 

"Bitch." He stood up, walked over, and then sat in the chair on the other side of Itachi. Now that he was closer, Itachi noticed that he was shirtless under his jacket. The detailed skeleton shirt he thought the man was wearing was actually a detailed tattoo. The man smiled widely when he noticed Itachi looking at it. "So you're that twink that lives with Orochimaru. No one told me you were hot." He slung an arm around Itatchi's shoulders. 

" _ Hidan. _ " Orochimaru's voice was low and dangerous and he was glaring at the other man. 

"Right?!" The blonde man turned Itachi's face so they were looking at each other. "Like your eyelashes are so long and I bet you're not even wearing mascara or anything." 

"No, I'm not." The man shook his head. 

"Well they're flawless." He let go of Itachi's face so Konan could paint the nails on that hand.

"Thank you." 

“Hey.” Hidan jostled him with the arm that was still around his shoulder. “Have you heard of the Way of Jashin?” Everyone in the room groaned.

“Hidan, save it for later.”

“Fuckers.” He pouted and slouched back in his chair. Kisame caught Itachi’s eye and winked. Then he saw Sasori roll his eyes at them. 

“Hellllo.” A man with dyed green hair walked in and sat in the last empty chair. He immediately pulled a bag of peach rings from one of the pockets in his cargo pants and started eating them.

“You’re late.” Sasori’s voice was flat and only hinted at being irritated. 

“My bad.” He didn’t look apologetic at all.

“Now that everyone’s here, we can get started.” The orange haired man stood up from his chair and walked into the center of the circle. “I’m sure you’re all wondering why we called a meeting today.”

“I am  _ very _ curious as to why you called all of us here.” Orochimaru sounded more angry than curious. 

“We thought it was time for the rest of us to meet Itachi.” Orochimaru looked like he had more he wanted to say, but he kept it to himself. “So, introductions.” He pointed to the man with the dark red hair. The man sighed, but turned his head towards Itachi.

“Nagato.”

“Zetsu.” He was still eating the peach rings.

“You already know me.” Sasori’s voice was as flat as usual.

“And me.” Kisame winked at him.

“Kakuzu.” He had a mask on covering his mouth and long hair tied up in a bun.

“You already know me well.” Orochimaru smiled at him, but it wasn’t pleasant.

“Hidan.” He jostled Itachi again.

“Deidara.” He waved at Itachi, and he noticed the tattoo of a mouth on the palm of his hand.

“Konan.”

“And I’m Yahiko, leader of the Akatsuki.” He smiled pleasantly at Itachi. “I thought it was time to talk about your future with this organization.” 

“No one talked to me about this.” Orochimaru looked angry, like a snake about to strike.

“No we didn’t. I thought you’ve been deciding enough on your own recently.” Yahiko walked over to Itachi. “You’ll be working with Kakuzu and helping him with whatever he needs. You’ll be answering only to me and him. Got it?”

“No.” Orochimaru’s face was red, and his mouth was pulled into a snarl. “He will  _ not _ be joining. Is that clear?” Itachi clenched his hands so tightly that his nails broke the skin of his palms, but he didn’t say anything. Yahiko shrugged.

“Alright. Then he dies. The only reason we didn’t kill him already was because Sasori and Kisame both thought he’d be a good addition to the group. But if you’re so against it then that’s the alternative.” He walked over to Orochimaru. “So what’s it going to be?” Everyone looked over at Orochimaru except for Itachi. He looked over at Kisame. Kisame’s body was angled towards Orochimaru, and he had his teeth bared. He looked dangerous, and Itachi wanted to walk over there and kiss him.

“Obviously I don’t want you to kill him.” His voice was low and angry. Yahiko clapped his hands together once.

“Great! Looks like you’re getting the help you wanted after all, Kakuzu. Itachi.” He pulled his eyes from Kisame and looked at Yahiko. “Do you mind waiting outside for the rest of the meeting? Kakuzu can give you the details of your new job later.” 

“Of course.” He gently removed Hidan’s arm from his shoulder and stood up. He looked at Kisame one more time before leaving the room and then leaving the church. He sat on the stairs and looked up at the few stars he could see. Things were going to be changing for him, and he couldn’t tell if that was good or not yet. 

After about thirty minutes, he heard the door of the church slam open. Then there was a hand gripping his arm tightly and hauling him up. "We're leaving." Orochimaru started to pull him towards the car. "Do you have any idea of what you've gotten yourself into?" 

"No, but what should I have done? Let them kill me?"

"I'm the only one who would ever kill you." Itachi thought of all the different ways Orochimaru had detailed killing him and then yanked himself out of the older man's grasp. 

"I think I'd rather walk back." Orochimaru took a step towards him, and he took one back.

"Itachi, don't be ridiculous." He took another step forward, and Itachi took another step back. " _ Itachi _ ." A heavy hand came down on his shoulder.

"Everything okay here?" Kisame's tone sounded friendly, but there was an undercurrent of something in it.

"Yes." Orochimaru's tone didn't sound friendly at all. "Everything's fine."

"Great! Then I guess we'll see you later." He didn't wait for a response. He used the hand on Itachi's shoulder to turn him around and lead him back to the church. All of the other Akatsuki members were outside watching Orochimaru leave.

"Thank you." 

"Of course." His hand slid from Itachi's shoulder and ended up on his lower back. "You hungry?" He looked up at the taller man and smiled.

"I could eat." 

"Great!! Meet you guys there!" Hidan slapped Itachi on the back hard as he walked past them.

"It wasn't an open invitation." 

"Oh we know. But I actually need to talk to Itachi and the rest of them just want food." Kakuzu patted Itachi on the back much more gently. "So see you there." Kisame sighed and turned them around again. He started leading them somewhere.

"Just so you know I asked intending to make it a date, but I guess that's busted."

"Oh?" Kisame grinned down at him. 

"Yeah. The thing is, I kind of like you." Sasori snorted as he walked past them.

"Please. You two are the most obvious people I've ever seen in my life. It's disgusting." Kisame laughed and winked at Itachi.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." They stopped asking at a car he assumed was Kisame's. 

"Where are we going anyway?" Kisame climbed into the car, so he did too.

"Saiken. It's the only diner Hidan's not banned from." Itachi had never heard of it, but he had never heard of most places.

They talked about a lot of things on the drive over. Itachi learned that Kisame was skilled at most sword fighting techniques, could name every type of shark, and killed someone for the first time when he was thirteen. Kisame learned that Itachi could name most birds on sight, was the youngest person ever to graduate from his university, and would do anything to protect Sasuke. As soon as they parked, Itachi leaned over and kissed him exactly how he wanted to during the meeting. Kisame must've been thinking about it too because he kissed back in a way that made Itachi feel like he was being devoured. They only stopped when someone knocked hard on the car window.

"Save it for later, yeah?" Deidara winked at them before following Sasori into the diner. Kisame kissed him one more time before they got out of the car and followed them in. 

"What the fuck took you guys so long?" Hidan was shouting at them from a large table across the diner. The place was pretty much empty, so his voice rang out loudly. 

"They were making out in the parking lot." Deidara's voice was also loud even though he was already sitting across from Hidan. Itachi's face felt hot as he sat down next to Deidara. 

"What?!" Hidan leaned over the table to look at Kisame, who had sat down next to Itachi. "I clearly called dibs." Kisame laughed, and he could feel it against his side.

"He called dibs weeks ago. You should've seen them meet. You could practically see the cartoon hearts in the air. I thought Orochimaru was going to have an aneurysm." Itachi hid his face in his hands as Kisame laughed again. 

"I thought he was going to have one tonight." He heard a handful of chairs shift at once, so he assumed the rest of the Akatsuki had arrived. "Maybe he still might." He lifted his head back up when he felt Kisame's arm settle around his shoulders.

"So Itachi, what did you think of the meeting?" Everyone turned to look at him.

"Well I appreciate the new job and that you're not going to kill me." He felt Kisame's laugh everywhere. "And it was interesting to see Orochimaru in a situation where he wasn't in charge.”

“I’m just hoping you’ll be as good as everyone thinks.” Now Kakuzu was leaning across the table. “I handle all of the finances for the group, and they’re a mess. Think you can handle that?” Itachi couldn’t tell what kind of face Kakuzu was making under his mask.

“Yes.” They looked at each for a long moment, and then Kakuzu must’ve made up his mind because he relaxed back into his seat.

“Good. Give your two weeks at that trashy bar you work at and meet me here Friday at twelve.” Kakuzu slid him a business card that said ‘Taki Accounting’ with an address and a phone number. “Got it?”

“Yes.” He slid the card into his pocket. It looked like Kakuzu was smiling at him, but he wasn’t sure. 

“Working with this asshole means you’ll be seeing a lot of me.” Hidan leered at him. “Soon you’ll be making out with  _ me  _ in parking lots.” Itachi laughed without even really thinking about it.

“You sound very confident about that.”

“Of course I’m confident. Look at me.” He gestured to himself. Deidara rolled his eyes.

“You’d be a lot hotter if you didn’t talk.” Hidan flipped him off and slumped down in his chair. Itachi laughed again and wondered if this was what having friends was like. 

At some point the world’s most patient waitress came over to take their order. Itachi hadn’t even seen a menu, so he just ordered pancakes. No one else had looked at a menu either, so he assumed they came here often. 

Sometime after their food came and crowded the table, Itachi felt his phone vibrate with an incoming call. He checked the caller ID even though there was really only one person who ever called him. Kisame pressed even closer to him and looked at the screen too. “Gonna answer it?” Itachi sighed.

“Yeah. If I don’t, he’ll just keep calling until I do.” He sighed again before answering. “Hello Orochimaru.”

“Itachi, I shouldn’t have left you alone there earlier. I’m worried as to the reason you’re not home yet.” 

“Everything’s fine. I’m just with Kakuzu discussing some details.”

“Then why can I hear Hidan in the background?” He sounded angry, but he had all night.

“Everyone wanted to come so I could get to know them better.” Itachi suddenly felt Kisame’s breath against his ear. He felt his mouth go dry. 

“I already have a ride back, so no need to wait up,” Kisame whispered it in his ear, and he repeated it to Orochimaru.

“Itachi--”

“Goodnight Orochimaru,” Kisame whispered again, and he repeated again. Then he hung up before Orochimaru could say anything else.

“He keeps you on a tight fucking leash, doesn’t he?” Hidan and Deidara were both looking at him in interest.

“He certainly tries to.” Kisame laughed, and Itachi could feel it in his stomach. 

Everyone split off into smaller groups after they finished eating. Konan left with an arm wrapped around both Yahiko and Nagato. Deidara and Hidan left together, bickering about something. Sasori and Kakuzu left talking about some sports team with Zetsu trailing behind them. That left Itachi to follow Kisame back to his car. "I guess I should take you back to Orochimaru's." He turned on the car, but hadn't started driving yet. 

"I don't have to go back just yet." Kisame smiled at him knowingly. "Is that invitation to your place still good?"

"Yeah, it is." Itachi smiled back at him.

They didn't speak at all during the drive, but Itachi could feel something building up between them. It felt like sparks were dancing across his skin, and he'd ignite as soon as someone touched him. He had never felt like this before. It had his heart racing.

They stayed silent as they parked and as they entered Kisame's apartment building. They didn't touch at all, but every time their hands almost did Itachi felt a spark jump between them. He felt ready to burst as Kisame was unlocking his door. 

As soon as they entered the apartment, all of Itachi's attention was stolen by the giant fish tank across the room. He slid off his jacket and shoes and walked over to it. It was well stocked with fish, plants, and aquarium decorations. It smelled like the ocean and all the fish he could recognize were salt-water ones. "Can't believe I've been outshined by my own fish." He could feel Kisame standing just behind him. 

"It's impressive. I heard salt-water tanks were hard to maintain." 

"Yeah, but I always wanted one. When I was a kid my dream job was to work at the aquarium." Itachi turned and looked up at him. 

"When I was a kid I wanted to raise crows. I used to take care of a family of them outside my window until my father found out and cut the tree down." Kisame took a step closer to him and put his hands on the other man's waist.

"Sounds like a nice guy." He leaned down so their faces were inches apart.

"Yeah." He stopped so his lips were hovering just over Itachi's. Itachi waited, but the other man didn't lean down any further. Then he realized Kisame wanted him to set the pace, and his heart twisted with something pleasant. He surged up so they were kissing. Kisame immediately kissed back and tightened his hold on Itachi's waist. His own hands went to Kisame's hair, which felt stiff with gel or dye. 

As they were kissing, Kisame started walking them backwards away from the fish tank. It was an awkward kind of shuffle, but neither one of them wanted to stop kissing. But then Kisame did pull away to sit on his couch. He kept his hands on Itachi's waist and pulled him in close. "Is this okay?" His voice was rough, and Itachi felt himself shiver at it. He nodded, and then Kisame pulled him onto his lap. They were kissing again, and Itachi felt like he had caught fire. Then he felt Kisame’s hand on his back under his shirt and found out he could burn even hotter. Kisame pulled away again to ask, “is  _ this _ okay?” Itachi nodded again and then leaned forward to kiss him, but then stopped. Kisame took this as a sign to pull his hands away, which wasn’t what he had wanted. He put his own hands under Kisame’s shirt.

“Is this okay?” Kisame grinned up at him.

“Yeah Itachi. It’s whatever you want tonight.” Itachi felt hot, but so did Kisame under his hands. He started to push the other man’s shirt up with only an idea of what he wanted. Kisame was patient with him though as he slowly pushed his shirt up past his abs and then up past his chest. When he couldn’t push it up any higher, he looked at Kisame in a mix of embarrassment and want. “Can...can I ask you to take this off?” Kisame smiled at him kindly.

“Yeah, you can ask me.” He leaned forward slightly so he could pull his shirt off. He tossed it on the floor somewhere and then leaned back. Itachi’s eyes were immediately drawn to the tattoos all over Kisame’s arms. On both arms he was covered from shoulder to wrist with tattoos of different kinds of sharks. Itachi started tracing one of the sharks on his shoulder. 

“They’re incredibly detailed.” His voice was so breathy that he almost didn’t recognize it. 

“I have a good artist.” Itachi placed Kisame’s hands back on his waist, under his shirt, and leaned in to kiss him again. He felt like an inferno, but somehow Kisame’s hands felt even hotter on his skin. They kissed until he was out of breath, and then kept kissing.

They stopped when they could both feel Itachi’s phone vibrating. He rested his forehead against Kisame’s, tried to catch his breath, and let it ring to voicemail. He hoped it wouldn’t ring again, but he knew it was going to. He pulled his phone out of his pocket when it started ringing again. “Gonna answer it?” Kisame’s voice was rough, and it made Itachi want to press further into him. Instead he slid off of his lap and sat next to him on the couch. 

“Yeah, in a minute.” His own voice was hoarse, and he was still trying to catch his breath. He let it go to voicemail again. He answered it as it started to ring for a third time. “Hello Orochimaru.”

“Itachi! Is everything alright? Where are you?” 

“Everything’s okay. I’m on my way back.” He stood up even though he didn’t want to.

“Why do you sound out of breath?” Itachi tried to force his breathing to get steady.

“Do I? It must be the connection. I’ll see you soon.” 

“You had better be back soon.” Orochimaru’s words and tone made it feel like Itachi had just doused himself in ice water. He hung up before the older man could say anything else. 

“Sorry.” Kisame got up off the couch, walked over to Itachi, and held him tightly.

“It’s okay. Do you want to just stay here tonight?” Itachi held him back just as tightly.

“I  _ want _ to, but I  _ can’t _ . Not tonight.” He pulled himself away and walked over to the door. “I’ll see you again soon.” Kisame followed him over as he pulled his shoes on.

“Alright. Be safe Itachi.” Kisame handed him his jacket again, so he slipped it on.

“You too, Kisame.” He stood up on his toes to kiss him one more time before leaving. 

Kisame’s building wasn’t too far from Orochimaru’s, so it only took him twenty minutes to walk back. Orochimaru was waiting for him in the kitchen when he walked in. He was holding a full glass of wine and one of his favorite snakes was wrapped around his shoulders. He looked angry. "I'm sorry for worrying you, Orochimaru." Itachi walked over to the older man even though every instinct was telling him not to.

"Oh? Are you?" His voice was quiet, so Itachi had to move even closer to hear him.

"Yes. It's never my intention to upset you." He tried to keep his eyes on Orochimaru, but the snake started shifting. 

"Why are you still wearing his jacket?" Orochimaru reached out and closed all of the remaining distance between them. He tugged at Kisame's jacket like it had offended him. 

"He wouldn't take it back." He frowned, but let go of the jacket.

"I'll make sure he does next time." He looked Itachi over and his frown grew more pronounced. "It's not safe to be alone with any of them. Do you understand?"

"Yes Orochimaru." He looked like he had more he wanted to say, but he didn't say any of it. Instead he ran his fingers through Itachi's hair once before leaving the room. Itachi waited a few minutes before following him out. 

He got ready for bed and then laid under his blankets for a long while without sleeping. All sorts of different things had happened throughout the night and it gave him a lot to think about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here are the rest of the Akatsuki!! They're my favorite part of the show and I wish they had gotten more screen time.


	9. Chapter 9

His manager wasn’t surprised when he gave his two weeks. He was surprised that Itachi had even stayed there for so long. Tenma, the bartender that was almost like a friend, was surprised though. 

“Is your sugar daddy making you quit?” He shouted it across the bar as Itachi was picking up some orders. All of the nearby customers turned to look at them in interest.

“He’s  _ not _ my sugar daddy. And no, I found a job somewhere else.” He reached for the last glass, but Tenma pulled it away.

“A job doing what?” Itachi rolled his eyes and leaned further over the bar to grab the drink.

“Accounting.” Tenma grimaced, but let him have the drink.

“Sounds boring.” 

“Yeah, but it’ll pay better.” 

Itachi left with a full tray and did the rounds to his tables. He had only given his notice the day before, but almost all of his regulars had already heard. A lot of his customers told him they’d miss him. A few asked if he was sure that leaving was the best idea. More than a few asked if that meant he’d go on a date with them now, to which he politely declined. 

When he made it back to the bar, Tenma waved him over. “Hey so I’m pretty sure that guy over there isn’t wearing a shirt?” He pointed over to someone with familiar silver hair. “Can you go tell him to get one or get out?” 

“Yeah, I can handle it.” Itachi handed him the empty tray and then walked over to Hidan. The other man didn’t notice him approaching at all as he was typing something on his phone furiously. “Hello Hidan.”

“Fuck!” He dropped his phone and looked over at Itachi. “Oh hey Itachi. Are you here to  _ take my order _ ?” He winked cartoonishly, and Itachi wasn’t sure what that was supposed to be code for.

“I’m here to tell you to put a shirt on.” Hidan pouted, but slipped his jacket on.

“Good enough?” 

“Zip it up a bit.” He groaned, but he did zip it up halfway. “Thank you. Do you actually want to order something or are you here for something else?” 

“Kakuzu told me to tell you to make sure you wear a not-slutty shirt on Friday. And I’m supposed to give you this. He said it’s an advance payment or whatever.” He pulled a rubberbanded roll of cash out of his pocket. Itachi reached for it, but Hidan grabbed his shirt and pulled him off balance. Then he slipped the money into the back pocket of Itachi’s jeans and lingered there.

“Hidan.” He let go of Itachi’s shirt and pulled his hand back. 

“Just trying to catch up with Kisame.” Itachi rolled his eyes and took a step back.

“Do you want a drink?”

“On the house?” Hidan smirked at him.

“No.” His smirk fell, and he pouted again.

“Then no. Kakuzu’s got me running errands all over the fucking place tonight.” He got up off his stool and picked up his phone from off the ground. “See ya around.”

“Bye Hidan.” Hidan unzipped his jacket as he left. Itachi waited a second and then walked back to the bar. Tenma was looking at him in disbelief.

“What the hell?” 

“Just a friend stopping by. Drinks for seven ready?”

“Just stopping by to grab your ass?” He slid the drinks over as he talked.

“Well he’s a bit...odd.” Tenma shook his head, but didn’t say anything else. They weren’t really friends, but Itachi realized he was actually going to miss working with Tenma. 

The rest of his shift was uneventful, and he realized he was going to miss nights like this too. 

The roll of cash Hidan had given him was actually a lot of money. Itachi was shocked at seeing it at first. He hid most of it in his bag along with his gun. He used some of it to buy clothes he actually liked, which he also kept hidden in his bag. He also used some of it to buy a few bottles of dark blue nail polish. The polish on his nails was already starting to chip.

On Friday he showed up to Kakuzu’s office twenty minutes early. His office was in a normal looking office building downtown. It was full of other businesses that Itachi assumed were completely normal businesses. Kakuzu was the only one in his office when he entered it. “Itachi.” He nodded once and then looked him over. “I’m guessing Hidan gave you my message.”

“Yeah. Or some version of it.” It looked like Kakuzu was smiling under his mask, but he couldn’t be sure. 

“So this is where you’ll be working Fridays through Tuesdays.” He led Itachi around the few rooms it had. “After you’re done at that bar, it’ll be twelve to whenever I feel like leaving for the night. For now, it’s twelve until your shift at the bar. Got it?”

“Yes.” 

“Good. I have some regular clients, but most of the business is our business.” He led him over to a wall of filing cabinets. “I budget out the funds for everyone’s operations and then receive their earnings. I then decide where to launder that and organize those processes. Some of our laundering businesses are fully operational and actually bring their own profits in, so I keep track of that too. All of that is here.” He tapped the top of a cabinet. “I try to keep everything organized so I can make sure what we’re earning makes sense with what we’re putting out. But it’s been hard to do alone and things have fallen behind. There’s also some discrepancies I’ve noticed, but haven’t been able to track back to the source yet. I’ve been begging Yahiko for another set of eyes, and now that’s you kid. You think you can handle it?” 

“Yes.” He looked Kakuzu right in the eye and hoped he looked competent. “What do I start with?” It looked like Kakuzu was smiling.

“This.” He pulled open the top drawer of the first filing cabinet. “This has a listing of all of our assets and their general net earnings. Use today to try to get a good idea of each of these. You can work in this room.”

“Got it. Thank you Kakuzu.”

“Let me know if you need anything.” Kakuzu left Itachi to start reading.

He got through everything in the first drawer twice before he left for his shift at Matatabi. He had a pretty good idea of everything the Akatsuki did and all of the laundering businesses they used to hide it. He was still trying to piece it all together, but he figured he’d understand that better once he looked through some more things.

Itachi spent most of the next two weeks working. He spent most of his days in the office with Kakuzu and most of his nights at Matatabi. He barely slept and was exhausted everyday. But Orochimaru left him relatively alone to ‘relax’ when he wasn’t working, which was a bit of a silver lining. 

He started to better understand what each Akatsuki member did for the group and started to understand them better as people too. He saw Kakuzu and Hidan the most during those two weeks. Kakuzu was extremely frugal and easily irritated, but seemed to look out for Itachi in his own way. He always brought an extra coffee for him and gave him tips on investing he’d probably never use. Hidan was in charge of collections and drop-offs for all of the different businesses (legal and otherwise), which meant he was in their office often. He was loud and crass and had a weird religious fixation, but Itachi found himself liking Hidan anyway. 

He saw Kisame often too. They were both busy with work, but Kisame would still find ways to see him. He often had blood on his knuckles when Itachi saw him, but neither of them mentioned it. Sometimes he’d stop by Kakuzu’s office with coffee and treats. Other times he’d walk Itachi to Matatabi or back to Orochimaru’s apartment at the end of the night. Walking anywhere with Kisame always took a lot longer than usual as he often found himself pressed up against alley walls with his arms wound around the taller man’s neck. They’d kiss until Itachi was so breathless that he couldn’t speak and then they’d keep walking. Tenma always gave him a knowing look whenever Kisame would walk him to Matatabi.

He texted Kisame a lot too. They talked about a lot of different things, most of which Itachi had never talked to anyone about before. He texted Deidara and Hidan a lot too, but most of those were made up entirely of emojis he had to get Kisame to explain to him. For the first time in his life, Itachi felt like he was almost a normal person. He decided that he wasn’t going to reach out to his father or Danzo and he wasn’t going to respond if they reached out to him. They may have been the reason his life ended up like this, but now he was going to keep it this way on his own. 


	10. Chapter 10

Hidan and Deidara decided that he had to celebrate his last day of work at Matatabi. The only things he had ever celebrated before were birthdays and holidays with his family, so he was actually kind of excited at the idea. He spent three days trying to subtly convince Orochimaru that going would be a good idea. He eventually won him over by mentioning that the other Akatsuki members hadn’t really gotten to see him  _ together _ with Orochimaru. It caused the older man’s eyes to have a weird gleam that unsettled him, but it also got him what he wanted. 

They were all meeting at Kurama, which was a club Itachi had never been to. He knew it was popular because a lot of his customers had told him so and also asked him to join them there. He also knew it was actually owned by the Akatsuki. That meant they were able to get in without waiting and without anyone looking at Itachi’s fake ID. Inside the club was crowded, dark, and loud. Orochimaru immediately grabbed his hand and led him through the crowd. They walked past the bar and the dance floor and over to a set of stairs. Orochimaru held his hand tightly as they climbed them. The second floor was just as dark as the first with tables that sat overlooking the dance floor. He led Itachi over to a large table.

Konan, Yahiko, Nagato, Sasori, and Zetsu were already sitting at the table. Nagato looked uncomfortable. Zetsu looked mostly asleep. Sasori’s face was blank as usual. Konan and Yahiko both looked relaxed. Orochimaru sat next Sasori, and Itachi sat next to him. “First time here?” Konan didn’t raise her voice at all, so he had to lean in to hear her.

"Yes. It's...louder than I expected."

"It's always this loud." Nagato looked like he was sulking. "I hate coming here."

"You hate going anywhere babe." Yahiko kissed the other man on the cheek quickly before passing him a drink. "And don't sour Itachi on the club." Nagato slunk further in seat, but took the drink. "What do you want to drink?" It took Itachi a second to realize that Yahiko was asking him.

"A beer?" Zetsu laughed at him. 

"Dude you have to be more specific." Itachi hoped they couldn't see how awkward he felt. 

"I'll get him something." Konan smiled at him kindly, which meant she could definitely see how awkward he was.

"Thank you." She left with Zetsu, but they were immediately replaced with Kakuzu and Kisame. 

"Hey Itachi." They had just seen each other a couple of days ago, but that already felt like ages to Itachi.

"Hello Kisame." The taller man sat next to him, and he felt on fire everywhere they touched. He wanted to kiss him, but settled for knocking their knees together. Kakuzu just nodded at him, so he nodded back. It took him a moment to realize that the other man wasn’t wearing his mask. He had scars on either side of his mouth that looked like someone was trying to extend his smile. They were oddly stretched out, like Kakuzu had stitched the wounds himself. Itachi assumed there was a story behind them similar to the one behind the scars on Kisame’s face.

When Konan and Zetsu came back with drinks they had Hidan and Deidara with them. Hidan was shirtless and Deidara was wearing a mesh crop-top, and both of them were already wasted. “Itachi!!” They both shouted it at the same time and managed to be louder than the music.

“Hello Hidan, Deidara.” Konan slid a glass full of something over to him.

“If you don’t like it, just give it to Kisame.” He felt Kisame laugh against his side. 

“Thank you.” They all sat down, which caused the table to get cramped. Yahiko used that as an excuse to drape himself over Nagato. Hidan used it as an excuse to sit mostly on top of Deidara. And Kisame used it as an excuse to throw an arm around Itachi’s shoulders. Orochimaru glared at the arm, but didn’t say anything. Instead he clutched Itachi’s knee tightly under the table. He didn’t say anything either and used that moment to try the drink Konan brought him. It mostly tasted like alcohol, but it was also fruity enough that he kind of liked it. He took another, longer drink as he tried to subtly lean further into Kisame.

The club was so loud that it was hard to talk to each other. Deidara and Hidan tried to make up for that by shouting at everyone, but most of the Akatsuki either whispered to their neighbor or didn’t speak at all. Itachi stayed quiet and tried to listen to everyone else as best he could. He had trouble focusing on anything that wasn’t the music though. “Not your scene?” Kisame’s breath was hot on his ear. He twisted in his seat so he could look up at the other man better. He felt Orochimaru’s hand on his knee tighten.

“I don’t think so, but this is the first time I’ve ever been to a place like this.” 

“You’ve been doing a lot of things for the first time recently.” Kisame smiled at him, and his teeth looked sharper than usual in the dim light. 

“Yes. I’ve enjoyed them too.” 

“Do you--” 

“Itachi.” Orochimaru squeezed his knee painfully, so he turned back towards the other man. “Did you feed Manda before we left?”

“Yes Orochimaru.” The older man smiled at him strangely.

“Are you sure? You know it’s dangerous to forget to feed a snake.” He started leaning in closer to Itachi. “Especially once it’s expecting something.” Orochimaru leaned in even further, and Itachi understood what he was really talking about. He was intending to kiss him in front of everyone, and it made him feel nauseous. Orochimaru was holding him in place by his knee, and now their faces were barely apart. Itachi held his breath like that would somehow help him.

“Oh.” And then he was being jerked backwards all of a sudden. He banged both his knees against the table and felt Orochimaru’s hand smack against it too. 

“Sorry about that.” Kisame didn’t sound very sorry at all. “Lost my balance and pulled Itachi with me.” 

“Maybe you should take your arm off of him seeing as you’re so clumsy.” Orochimaru’s voice was barely louder than a hiss. They were looking at each other like they both knew it was on purpose. Everyone else was looking at them in interest. Itachi picked up his drink and finished it. Hidan and Deidara looked at each other quickly before looking back at Itachi.

“I think it’s time to take Itachi downstairs.” They stood, moved behind him, and started tugging him out of his chair. “Don’t worry, he’ll be in good hands.” They pulled him over to the stairs without waiting for him to agree. Orochimaru glared after them, but didn’t try to stop them. 

“It looked like he was going to try and fuck you right on the table.” Hidan was yelling right in his ear, but Itachi wouldn’t have been able to hear him any other way. “Man that would’ve been fucking gross.” 

“Well you’re with us now, yeah?” Deidara was yelling in his other ear. “Ever dance with someone before?” Itachi shook his head. 

“Then get fucking ready.” They pulled him right into the crowd on the dance floor. It was so much hotter in the crowd and it felt like someone was pressing against him on all sides. Hidan and Deidara pulled him over to some part of the floor and then surrounded him. He could feel Hidan press himself up against his back and felt Deidara press up against his front. He felt his face flush and wanted to squirm away.

“Don’t worry Itachi. We’ll teach you what to do.” Deidara took Itachi’s hands and placed them on his own hips and then wound his arms around Itachi’s neck. Hidan’s hands rested on Itachi’s hips and pressed them all together even further. He felt like he had caught on fire and could feel the music thumping in his throat. Hidan and Deidara both started moving, and he tried his best to mimic them. He could feel eyes watching them from the second floor, but couldn’t see anything further than Deidara’s face right in front of him in the club’s dim light. 

After dancing for a while, Itachi felt less stiff and awkward. He was still following Hidan and Deidara’s lead, but now felt like he was actually following it correctly. The club was still too hot, too loud, and too crowded. But he realized that he was actually having  _ fun _ . Then Deidara winked at him, unwound his arms, and took a step back. He felt Hidan’s hands leave his hips at the same time. Before he could say anything, he felt a new pair of hands slid onto his hips. They felt larger and warmer than Hidan’s. The hands pulled him back against a broad chest, and he recognized Kisame’s scent. “Hey Itachi. Mind if I dance with you?” His voice was low and rough directly in Itachi’s ear. 

“Not at all Kisame.” He tilted his head back to look up at the other man. With the way the lights were in the club, Kisame looked otherworldly. He turned around so they were facing each other. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Kisame’s neck. They were pressed together so closely Itachi could feel each breath he took in his own chest. 

“You look like you want me to kiss you, Itachi.” He could feel the words against his own lips.

“I do.” He felt Kisame’s chuckle in his own chest.

“You tempt me.” He leaned closer for just a moment. “But maybe we should wait until Orochimaru isn’t watching so closely.” Itachi sighed, but leaned away slightly. 

“You’re right.” Kisame’s hands tightened on his hips, and Itachi tried to follow his lead.

As they danced, they kept moving closer to each other. Not leaning up to kiss Kisame was one of the most difficult things Itachi had ever had to do. Instead he tried to focus on exactly how Kisame’s hands felt on his hips. He also tried to focus on how  _ safe _ he felt with the other man pressed up against him. Focusing on those things made it easy to shrug off the feeling of Orochimaru’s eyes on him. “Do you want to get out of here?” Kisame’s voice sounded like they had been kissing for a long time and heat pooled in Itachi’s gut.

“ _ Yes. _ ” Kisame grinned down at him.

“I feel like sneaking out is our best option. Give me a second.” Kisame pulled away and disappeared in the crowd. Hidan and Deidara were immediately by his side again.

“Done with the big guy already?” Itachi shook his head.

“We’re going to..uh...sneak out. He’s doing something to make it easier.” Hidan grabbed his arm and shook him.

“Hell yeah! Get that dick!” Deidara grabbed Hidan and pulled him off of Itachi.

“We’ll go back upstairs and distract. Have fun.” He winked at him and then led Hidan away. As they walked away the club turned on a smoke machine which made it even harder to see. Itachi smiled to himself as he felt Kisame grab his hand. 

They slipped through the crowd, past the bar, and out of the club. They quickly walked the however many blocks it was back to Kisame’s apartment. When they got there, Itachi pulled out his phone, saw the three missed calls from Orochimaru, and then turned it off. He placed it with his shoes and then turned to Kisame. The taller man smiled at him, and then they were kissing. He started leading Itachi further into his apartment and only pulled away to ask, “Couch or…?”

“Or.” Itachi already sounded out of breath. He grinned down at him and led him past the fish tank. He led him to his bedroom and then they were kissing again. He sat on his bed and pulled Itachi into his lap. His hands were under Itachi’s shirt, pressing against his back. They felt like two flames burning him outside-in. He pressed even closer to Kisame. “I...Can we...uh…” Itachi wasn’t even sure what he was trying to ask for. Kisame was patient with him as he tried to figure it out. “Can we do more?” Kisame slid him off of his lap onto the bed and then backed up a bit. There was now a good bit of space between them. Itachi felt like he had been doused in ice. He guessed that was a ‘no’ and he had read the situation wrong or done something wrong. “Oh.” His voice was the smallest it had ever been. “I’m sorry--”

“Itachi.” Kisame reached out like he was about to put a hand on Itachi’s knee, but stopped just before they would’ve touched. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I just need you to be sure.” Itachi nodded because he was sure. “I need you to be sure that  _ I’m _ the one you want to do this with for the first time. I’ve got blood on my hands. A lot of it actually.” 

“I know.” He tried to take Kisame’s hand, but the other man wouldn’t let him.

“Do you know what they call me?” Itachi nodded. “What is it?”

“The...the Monster of the Mist.”

“Yeah and they just don’t give that name to anyone. They had me kill anyone that was a threat to the Mist. At first that was enemies, but then that became political opponents, dissenters, and even allies that had the potential to become dangerous. I became the threat the Mist used to keep people in line.” Kisame looked down at his hands in something that could have either been regret or shame. “I killed a lot of people who never did anything to deserve it.” 

“And then you left the Mist.” This time he successfully grabbed Kisame’s hands. “You’re more than what the Mist made you do.” He shuffled closer to Kisame, and the other man let him. “I  _ know _ you have blood on your hands, but I also know that I feel never as safe as I do when I’m with you. I really like you, Kisame.” He let go of his hands to cup his cheeks. He gently ran his thumbs over the scars just under his eyes. “So yes, I’m sure. I  _ want _ it to be you.” He leaned forward slowly so Kisame had a chance to lean back if he wanted. He kissed him gently. 

“You know this means you’re stuck with me now, right?” Kisame’s smile was shy and unsure.

“I would hope it does.” Itachi hoped his own smile looked confident. 

Kisame’s hands were back on him. He was slower and more tentative than before, but he wasn’t pulling away. He slowly pulled both of their shirts off, and then just looked at Itachi for a long moment. Then he slowly traced Itachi’s ribs and then the knobs of his spine. Itachi mimicked him, though Kisame’s bones didn’t jut out in the same way his own did. Then Kisame was gently pushing him backwards until he was laying down. He hovered over him, and Itachi couldn’t tell what the look in his eyes was. “Just tell me if you want me to stop.” And then he was kissing his neck. And then his chest. And then down his stomach. Itachi was breathing so heavily that it was the only thing he could hear. Kisame looked up at him as he kissed just above his jeans, and he knew exactly what he was asking. He nodded, and then Kisame slowly undid his jeans and slid them off his legs. He kissed his way back up one leg starting at Itachi’s ankle. Itachi felt hot and overwhelmingly good. He covered his face with his hands because he didn’t know what else to do. He felt Kisame pull away. “Itachi, do you want me to stop?” He shook his head.

“No.” His mouth was dry, and his voice sounded hoarse. “No one’s ever done anything like this to me before. And it feels good.  _ Really good _ . I’m just….”

“Overwhelmed.” Itachi nodded.

“But I don’t want you to stop.” Kisame brought his hands to the top of Itachi’s boxers.

“I’m about to do something even more overwhelming. Do you still want me to keep going?” Itachi nodded. Kisame slowly slid his boxers off and then sat back to look at him. He wanted to cover himself up or squirm away. No one else had ever looked at all of him like this before. And no one had looked at him with the same kind of awe that Kisame currently looking at him with. “You’re beautiful, Itachi.” He felt himself flush all over and he knew Kisame could see it. “I’m going to touch you now, okay?”

“Okay.” And Kisame did. He caressed Itachi’s thigh and then slowly moved his hand to wrap around him. Itachi gasped and tried to arch further into his hand. His grip was loose, and he was moving his hand slowly, but Itachi felt like all of nerves were firing at once. “ _ Kisame _ .” He grinned down at him. 

“Feel good, baby?” Itachi responded with a noise that was almost a moan. “Want me to keep going like this?” 

“Can you…” Itachi was embarrassed at how needy he sounded. “Can you go faster?” Kisame’s grin grew sharper. He leaned down to kiss Itachi, tightened his grip, and moved his hand faster. All of the embarrassing noises he made were swallowed by Kisame’s kiss. He pressed himself further and further into the other man’s hand. He felt like he was chasing something. “ _ Kisame _ .  _ I feel _ ... _ feel _ …” 

“Close?” He nodded, and then Kisame twisted his hand a certain way. Itachi groaned and just let go. He felt weightless as he came. Kisame kissed him gently before climbing off the bed and walking over to something. He came back with a box of tissues and gently cleaned off his hand and Itachi’s stomach. “Feel okay?” Itachi nodded.

“More than okay.” He sat up so he could shift closer to Kisame. “I want to return the favor.”

“You don’t have to.” Itachi started unbuttoning Kisame’s jeans.

“I know, but I want to.” He tugged at the belt loops. “Now take these off.” Kisame grinned and did as he asked. Itachi looked at all of him. He looked at the tattoos on his arms and the scars across his body. He looked at the way his muscles flexed as he shifted and at his dick. He felt his mouth grow dry. “Can I touch you?”

“Yeah.” Kisame’s voice was rough and it sent a shiver through him. He reached out slowly and wrapped his hand around Kisame’s dick. Kisame groaned, and he shifted closer to hold him better. It felt heavy in his hand. He moved his hand slowly, experimenting with his grip and the noises he could pull from the other man. Kisame was patient as tried things he thought might feel good. He shifted even closer so he could kiss his neck. Kisame arched up against him and groaned low in his ear. Itachi twisted his hand like the other man had earlier and then bit him gently just under his ear. “ _ Itachi _ .” 

“Is that okay?” He sounded just as breathless as Kisame.

“Yeah. Do it again.” Itachi bit him again, but harder. He wanted to leave a mark on the other man. Kisame groaned and came over his hand and both their stomachs. Itachi grabbed a tissue from the box and cleaned them both off.

“Was that...okay?” Kisame held him tightly against his chest as they both tried to catch their breath. 

“More than okay. Can you stay tonight?” He thought about Orochimaru and the number of missed calls he probably had by now.

“Yeah, I can stay.” Kisame smiled at him.

“I’ll get you something to sleep in in a minute.”

They stayed sitting together for more than a minute. But then Kisame did get up. He stretched, and Itachi saw the tattoo on his back for the first time. It was the jaws of a large shark held open by an odd looking sword. It took up almost all of Kisame’s back. Itachi reached out to trace it and liked the feeling of his muscles flexing under his fingers. “Do you want a tattoo?” Kisame asked as he walked over to his dresser.

“I’ve never thought about it before. I suppose I wouldn’t mind getting one.” Kisame tossed some clothes over to him.

“What would you get?” He watched Kisame pull on his own sweatpants before putting on the clothes he gave him. The t-shirt was huge on him and the pants were way too long. It made him feel like a child again trying on clothes his mother gave him.

“Maybe a crow.” 

“That would look good, right on your shoulder.” Itachi tried to imagine it. “Come here. I’ll show you where the bathroom is.” Itachi followed him to the bathroom. When they got there he pulled an opened an unopened toothbrush out from under the sink and handed it to him. “Here. I’m gonna go grab some water. I’ll meet you back in my room.” He kissed Itachi’s forehead quickly before leaving. He still felt Kisame’s lips on his forehead as he used the bathroom and brushed his teeth.

Kisame wasn’t in the room yet when Itachi went back, so he looked around a little. His room was pretty clean with some clothes on the floor and some trash just next to the trash can. There weren’t any pictures, but he had some posters for bands Itachi had never heard of before. He also had a large sword sitting in the corner that looked well taken care of. “Ever used a sword before?” Kisame tossed him a water bottle as he walked in.

“Only training ones. Have you used this one?” Kisame walked over and picked up the sword. It was large, but he could hold it with one hand. 

“Yes. I took this from my mentor just as I started to earn the name Monster.” He didn’t say anything else about the sword, so Itachi didn’t ask anything else. He put the sword back and turned to Itachi. "You can sleep here, and I'll take the couch." Itachi shook his head. 

"We can both sleep here. If you want to, that is." Kisame smiled at him softly.

"Yeah, I want to." They climbed into bed. As soon as they were both under the sheets, Kisame pulled him up against his chest and wrapped his arms around him. "Is this okay?"

"Yeah. I just can't warn you if I snore or kick in my sleep. The last person I shared a bed with was Sasuke." 

"That's okay. I can't warn you about any of those things either. It's been a long time since I shared a bed with anyone." Kisame kissed the top of his head before they both tried to sleep. 

Itachi didn't fall asleep until he felt Kisame's breathing slow down against his back.


	11. Chapter 11

Itachi didn’t know where he was when he woke up. He panicked when he felt an arm across his chest, but then he recognized Kisame’s scent. He remembered everything about the night before all at once and felt himself blush. There was some light filtering through the blinds, but he had no idea what time it was and the clock was on Kisame’s side of the bed so he couldn’t check without waking the other man up. Itachi relaxed himself into Kisame’s hold and thought.

He very much meant it when he told the other man that he really liked him. He was also determined to stick by his decision of not giving the Akatsuki up to the police. Orochimaru was the only obstacle left in living his life the way he wanted to. He had mostly been lying to Kisame when he told him he was still with Orochimaru because was afraid for Sasuke. But now that he knew about the journals and the pictures it didn’t feel like a lie. It felt like something Orochimaru would use against him if he found a way to do it. So Itachi just had to make sure he couldn’t find a way. He thought about involving his father, but then immediately dismissed the idea. His father would either encourage Itachi to stay or, worse, decide to use Sasuke as bait instead. He thought about warning Sasuke, but his brother was too reckless to listen to him. There was always Shisui, but he didn’t really know what his cousin would be able to do.

“What are you thinking about so loudly?” Kisame’s voice was still thick with sleep. 

“Protecting Sasuke.”

“Did something happen?” His voice sounded more alert, and it made Itachi’s heart skip a beat. He turned around so he could look at Kisame.

“No, but I don’t want to live with Orochimaru anymore.” Kisame started to comb his fingers through Itachi’s hair, and he leaned into the touch.

“Oh?” 

“Yeah. The thing is I met someone, and I have a feeling he’s going to try to make it difficult for me to see this person.” Kisame kissed the top of his head, and his heart skipped another beat. “And I did also find out recently that he’d like to taxidermy me after I die, which is very unsettling.” 

“Oh yeah, that one was super gross. Have any good ideas yet?” Itachi shook his head.

“No, but I’ll think of something. What time is it?” Kisame turned to look at the clock.

“Nine. Is Kakuzu expecting you today?” 

“Yeah. I should get back so I can go get ready.” He shifted a bit, but didn’t make any real move to get out of bed. 

“You could get ready here. I could lend you a shirt and make you breakfast.” Itachi was very tempted to accept. 

“Thank you, but I feel like I should just deal with Orochimaru right away. It’ll only be worse if I push him off until the end of the day.” Kisame squeezed him tightly once before letting go and then climbing out of bed.

“Alright. I’ll make you some coffee as you get ready to leave.” Itachi also climbed out of bed even though he didn’t really want to. Kisame kissed him quickly before leaving the room. He stretched for a long moment before pulling off the clothes the other man lent him. He pulled his own clothes from the night before back on and grimaced at how sweaty they smelled. He used the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and pulled his hair into a bun to try and look more presentable.

Kisame was pouring some coffee in a travel mug when he walked into the kitchen. He poured in sugar and cream too because he already knew exactly how sweet Itachi liked things. “Thank you.” Kisame kissed him quickly again as he handed the mug over.

“Is it too much if I ask you to text me when you get back and then after you talk to him?” Itachi shook his head.

“It’s not too much.” He leaned up to kiss Kisame and it lasted longer than the other ones. “I’ll see you soon.” He slipped on his shoes and then left. 

Itachi turned his phone back on as he walked to Orochimaru’s. He had a text from Deidara with a bunch of winky face and fireworks emojis. He also had one from Hidan that said ‘how big is he?????’ with a ton of eggplant emojis so Itachi wouldn’t misunderstand. He had twenty missed calls and a text from Orochimaru that said ‘We need to talk tomorrow, if you’re not dead that is’. He thought the text was a bit over dramatic. He didn’t answer any of them as he didn’t know how to respond to Deidara, he didn’t want to respond to Hidan, and he was on his way to talk to Orochimaru so there wouldn’t be a reason to. He put his phone in his pocket and chugged the coffee Kisame made him. 

He texted Kisame ‘back’ as soon as he entered the apartment. All of the lights were off and it was quiet, but he had a feeling Orochimaru was home. Both the kitchen and living room were empty, which meant he had to check his bedroom. He usually tried his best to avoid Orochimaru’s room to avoid accidentally giving the older man the wrong message. But he wanted to get this conversation over as quickly as possible, so he gently knocked on the bedroom door. “Itachi, is that you?”

“Good morning Orochimaru. May I come in?”

“Please do.” He opened the door and walked in. There was some light filtering in, but for the most part the room was dark. He could see Orochimaru sitting on his bed. “Come sit with me.” He patted the part of the bed next to him. Itachi did as he asked even though it made him feel nauseous. As soon as he sat down Orochimaru grabbed him roughly by the hair and brought their faces close together. It hurt and it surprised him, but Itachi didn’t make a sound. “I need you to be honest with me. Can you do that Itachi?”

“Yes Orochimaru.” 

“Good. Now then, did you leave with Kisame last night?” 

“Yes.” Orochimaru’s grip tightened. 

“Did you spend the night at his place?” 

“Yes.” His grip tightened even further, and Itachi had to bite the inside of his mouth to keep from making any noise. 

“Did you let him fuck you?” Itachi flushed without wanting to.

“No.” Orochimaru tightened his grip even more and then yanked hard. He bit the inside of his mouth even harder and tasted blood.

“I thought you were going to be honest with me.”

“I promise I’m telling you the truth.” Orochimaru’s grip lessened only slightly.

“Then did you let him kiss you?” 

“...yes.” Orochimaru made a noise low in his throat, but he wasn’t sure what it meant.

“Did the Monster force his kiss on you?”

“ _ No. _ ” His voice was sharp and angry. He thought about how Kisame looked the night before as he talked about his past and got angrier. “Do not call him that.” The older man frowned at him. 

“So you wanted  _ him _ to kiss you?” He didn’t miss the question Orochimaru hadn’t asked aloud. 

“Yes.” Orochimaru yanked hard again, but then let go.

“I see. You’re determined not to listen to me about him. I only want you to be safe, Itachi.” He cupped Itachi’s cheeks like a lover would. “I don’t want you to get hurt, but you will. And I’ll be right here to take care of you when you do. I’ll  _ always _ be here.” He rubbed his thumb against Itachi’s lower lip before pulling his hands away. “Now go get ready for work. I wouldn’t want Kakuzu complaining that I’m messing up his business.”

“Yes Orochimaru.” He left the room and hoped the older man couldn’t see his relief. 

He pulled out his phone when he was alone in his room. Kisame had texted him ‘good luck’. He texted back ‘went better than expected’ and got ready for work. He didn’t see Orochimaru again before he left. 


	12. Chapter 12

Itachi liked working with Kakuzu. The other man trusted him enough to know what he was doing and the work itself was interesting. He had Itachi trying to trace the discrepancies back to their sources. It was challenging in a way that didn't frustrate him and it reminded him of being in college. 

It didn't take him long to uncover the thread between most of the discrepancies. He first found some projected earnings that didn’t match up with what they actually received. But nothing was adjusted on the amount funnelled into that business. If they really weren’t making as much someone should’ve stopped requesting as much. But there were receipts and entries showing that the same amount of material was still purchased anyway. He found the same thing for a handful of different quarters and it looked like it was all for the same business. After tracing it back, he spent a week triple checking it all. Then he wrote down his entire process and which specific entries he had flagged. Then he had Kakuzu read his notes and try to recreate it himself. After Kakuzu did and told him his reasoning was airtight, he told him which business it was.

It was Orochimaru’s.

Itachi needed to be sure and needed Kakuzu to be sure himself because he knew how it would look. He knew that he was new to the group and had a cop for a father and had a weird relationship with Orochimaru. It was suspicious, and he tried to make it clear to Kakuzu that he was aware it was suspicious. But Kakuzu didn’t seem to care about any of that. He just said, “I’m not surprised that it would be Orochimaru.” Itachi remembered that conversation he overheard just before meeting Sasori and guessed he shouldn’t have been surprised either. 

Kakuzu told him that he would be the one to tell Yahiko, which made Itachi feel a bit better about how suspicious it looked. He also told him to keep it a secret for now, which he promised to do. Itachi acted like normal with Orochimaru and continued to clean up the Akatsuki’s records. 

Itachi was invited to his second meeting with everyone the week Kakuzu told Yahiko what they found. He left directly from the office with Kakuzu and Hidan that night and was curious as to what the meeting would be about. Neither one mentioned any ideas they had. Instead Hidan spent the walk over telling Itachi about his weird religion. Kakuzu walked far in front of them, probably so he could avoid hearing Hidan. 

The meeting was at the same church, and it was just as empty as before. They walked straight to the back room. Konan, Nagato, Yahiko, and Kisame were all there already. Itachi said ‘hello’ and then immediately walked over to sit next to Kisame. Hidan followed and sat on his other side. He didn’t think it would be appropriate to kiss the other man, so instead Itachi took one of his larger hands into both of his. He massaged the palm in a way he had read was helpful, and Kisame smiled softly at him. When Orochimaru entered the room minutes later, his lip curled at the scene and at the fact that Itachi was already boxed in. 

“Hello Itachi.”

“Hello Orochimaru.” He looked at the older man only briefly before returning his attention to Kisame’s hand. He massaged both hands thoroughly by the time the rest of the group arrived. Yahiko stood up as soon as everyone else was sitting. 

“Hello everyone. Welcome to your first official meeting, Itachi.” Itachi nodded at him. “I called you all here because Nagato lifted some new information from the Leaf’s police force. They’ve decided to ‘take back their city’ and are taking a harder stance on drug-related crimes. From what Nagato found, they’re trying to knock-out known suppliers and runners. Orochimaru, have any of your guys gotten picked up? Or has any business dipped?” Itachi wasn’t sure if what Yahiko said about the police was true, but immediately understood what he was trying to do. According to the numbers, Orochimaru’s business  _ had  _ dipped and he was offering up a reason to explain that.

“No. All of my men are accounted for and business is the same as ever. I’ll be sure to tell them to remain extra cautious.” Itachi and Kakuzu briefly made eye contact.

“Good. Zetsu?” He paused with his hand full of popcorn halfway to his mouth.

“Some decline in sales in the more suburban neighborhoods, but still have everyone. Tobi thinks an uncover’s been trying to trap him, but nothing solid yet.” He shoved the popcorn in his mouth and turned to look at Itachi. “Your dad’s head of vice right?” Itachi nodded. “Cool. You should come talk to my guys about what you know. Like their scripts and shit.” Itachi nodded again.

“Yes, good idea Zetsu. Itachi, do that for Orochimaru’s men as well.”

“Got it.”

“Next up--Hidan you have to stop scaring everyone at the laundromat when you go for pickups. I will  _ not _ tell you again, understand.” Hidan sulked in his seat.

“Yeah, whatever.” He saw Konan roll her eyes, so he guessed Yahiko would tell him again.

“Sasori, Deidara, is everything ready for the Stone job?”

“Yes.” Yahiko nodded once.

“Do you need any extra hands with the delivery?” They both shook their heads.

“Nope. Kisame’s gonna be there with Zabuza. We’ll be good.” Yahiko nodded again.

“Good.” He sat back down.

“Itachi.” Konan stood up as she spoke and walked over to some area behind her chair. “Usually we give everyone their own jacket on their first official meeting, but seeing as Kisame’s has been on permanent loan to you I thought you could keep his.” Kisame laughed as Itachi blushed. “And his was getting small on him anyway, so I just got him a larger size.” She walked back over with a jacket in hand. “You don’t have to wear it anywhere. I just thought they’d be neat to have.” She handed the new one to Kisame and then sat back down.

“They are neat. Thank you.” She smiled kindly at him. 

“Everyone except Kakuzu and Itachi can leave.” Everyone stood and started leaving.

“Itachi.” Orochimaru lingered by the door. “I’ll be waiting for you outside.” Itachi nodded at him and hoped that he wouldn’t be the only one waiting.

Yahiko waited until he was sure everyone else had fully left the church before speaking. “Kakuzu told us what you both found, and we’re honestly not surprised. A few months ago there was an incident in which one of Orochimaru’s men had been caught stealing product from customers just to then resell it. Orochimaru denied any involvement or knowledge and there wasn’t any reason not to believe him, but something didn’t feel right.” That was around the time Itachi had first seen Sasori. “Have you noticed anything suspicious with him, Itachi?”

“Around the same time he came back arguing with Kabuto. They were talking about finding whomever messed something up and that it couldn’t happen again. He also mentioned that ‘they’d be watching him’ and he couldn’t have any more mistakes. But that’s been it.” Yahiko nodded. 

“I need you to keep your eye on him, but safely. You don’t need to put yourself in any more danger than you already are. If he does something suspicious or it seems like he’s getting ready to run, let us know. Okay?”

“Got it.” 

“Good. For now just continue acting like you don’t know anything. One of us will let you know if anything changes.” Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato stood up all at once, and Itachi wondered if they had practiced that. “We should head out. I have a feeling everyone’s waiting outside.”

Yahiko was right. As soon as they all stepped out of the church, six pairs of eyes turned to look at them. “Ready to leave, Itachi?” Orochimaru took a step towards him, but Deidara and Hidan rushed at him. They each threw an arm around him and effectively trapped him.

“No way! Itachi’s  _ got _ to come to Saiken with us.”

“Yeah! It’s the only good part of these boring fucking meetings.” Orochimaru glared at them.

“I think Itachi would rather just return home and relax.”

“Why don’t we ask Itachi?” Sasori sounded bored as usual, but he must’ve been invested seeing as he spoke at all. 

“I’d--” Orochimaru was looking at him so intently that he could physically feel the weight of his stare pressing against his chest. “--like to go to Saiken.” Hidan whooped loudly in his ear and started to push Itachi forward.

“Then let’s fucking go!”

“ _ Itachi-- _ ” Hidan and Deidara kept pushing him forward.

“You’re always invited as well, Orochimaru.” They had pushed him far enough away that he couldn’t see the older man anymore, but he was still able to hear him grit his teeth. 

“Thank you for the reminder, Konan. But unfortunately I will have to pass.” Orochimaru must’ve then walked away because he didn’t hear anything else from him. He wasn’t sure though because he wasn’t able to see him leave. Hidan and Deidara had pushed him all the way to Kisame’s car. 

“Unlock your fucking car!” Hidan let go of Itachi just to jiggle the car door handle. 

“Don’t do that.” Kisame was following them at a more normal pace.

“Then fucking unlock it.” Kisame didn’t unlock it.

“What makes you think you’re riding shotgun?” He walked over to the driver’s side and looked at them.

“Because I want to.” 

“Too bad. You’re in the back.” Hidan jiggled the door handle more aggressively.

“Fuck you. Unlock the door.” Kisame still didn’t.

“Itachi, come over here.” Itachi walked over. Kisame used his key to only unlock the driver’s side. “You should be able to climb over to the other seat.”

“Oh fuck you!” Kisame grinned at him, and he smiled back. He climbed over into the seat, and then Kisame unlocked the car. Deidara and Hidan both slid in the back. Hidan grumbled the whole ride to the diner. Itachi realized that this was  _ exactly _ what having friends was like and felt his heart swell a bit.

He went back to Kisame’s after they finished eating again. He had a few missed calls from Orochimaru, but he ignored them and turned his phone off. "Planning to go back tonight?"

"No. Unless you're planning on kicking me out." Kisame smiled at him and pulled him in close.

"No." Itachi smiled back up at him.

He spent the night curled up in Kisame's arms. He stayed for breakfast and helped feed the fish. He borrowed one of Kisame's overly large shirts and pretended like he didn't notice Kakuzu's look when he got to work. 


	13. Chapter 13

When he wasn't keeping an eye on Orochimaru or working with Kakuzu, Itachi was with Kisame. He started hanging out at the old garage Kisame's group used as their base of operations. It looked like a fully functional garage complete with cars in various states of repair, but none of them knew much about fixing cars. Itachi met Kisame's friends--many of which had left the Mist with him. There was Zabuza who also had unnaturally sharpened teeth and liked to show Itachi pictures of his boyfriend and their rabbits. And Ameyuri, who had a ton of terrible dating stories along with twin pistols she carried everywhere. And Mangetsu who moved so fluidly it was like he was made of water and had a brother the same age as Sasuke. They were weird and dangerous and funny and nice, and Itachi liked seeing them. 

They'd also go on walks and go to dinner and break into buildings together. They'd talk about all kinds of things, and Kisame never once called him weird. He started spending more nights at Kisame's apartment and had even started leaving clothes there. At first it was by accident, but then it started happening on purpose. Kisame was still letting Itachi lead with everything, which still caused his heart to twist pleasantly each time. He was patient as Itachi tried to figure out what he wanted and what he liked and what the other man liked. He was patient as Itachi tried acting on the mostly unsolicited advice Hidan and Deidara gave him. Kisame never rushed him or even asked for much.

Itachi had never been in love before and was unsure if he was in love now. He really liked Kisame and liked spending time with him. The other man still made him feel safe. And he trusted him in a way he had never trusted anyone else before. But he wasn't sure what all of that meant together. There were certain times he'd look at Kisame and feel  _ something _ he didn't have a name for, but that didn't necessarily mean he was in love. He desperately wanted to go to Shisui and tell him all about it. But now that Orochimaru knew Itachi was spending time with Kisame, he was under closer watch when he was supposed to be alone. He decided to ask the most competent person he knew for help. Konan told him to meet her at Saiken on Thursday for breakfast. 

Konan wasn't alone when he got to the diner. Hidan and Deidara were also there and were fighting over the seat closest to the window. “Hello Konan.” He slid in the booth next to her and looked pointedly across the table.

“Hello Itachi. They’re both very nosey and wanted to come very badly.” They stopped fighting and looked at Itachi.

“I heard you needed sex advice and can’t believe you didn’t ask me first.” Hidan actually looked hurt.

“I do not need sex advice.”

“Then why the hell am I here?”

“I have no idea.” He shifted so he could look at Konan better. “Maybe we should just talk about it later?” 

“No!” Deidara lunged across the table so he could grab Itachi’s hand. “Please stay and tell us everything. Are you thinking of getting a haircut? Oh! Are you and Kisame fighting? Oh!! Are you secretly already married and need our help getting out of it?” Deidara didn’t take a breath between any of his questions.

“No, no, and no. I need some help….sorting out my feelings.” He trailed off and felt his face flush. 

“So you guys  _ are _ fighting.” He shook his head immediately.

“No. They’re good feelings, but I just don’t really understand them.” Konan smiled at him kindly like she already knew what feelings he was talking about.

“Are you  _ sure _ you don’t need sex advice? Cause I know you guys haven’t fucked yet.” His face felt even hotter.

“I am sure. Anyway that’s none of your business.” 

“As Kisame’s rival for your ass, it’s definitely my business.” Itachi looked at Konan pleadingly hoping that there was something she could do. 

“Hidan, shut up and get ready to order.” Hidan slumped down in his seat, but didn’t say anything else until the waitress came by. 

They all ordered quickly. As soon as the waitress left, everyone looked back at Itachi expectantly. He looked down at his hands. “I...I  _ really like _ Kisame.” Hidan snorted.

“Yeah, I think everyone fucking knows that.” 

“Hidan.” Konan’s voice was sharp, and Hidan slumped further in his seat. “Keep going Itachi.”

“I think….how did you know you were in love with Yahiko and Nagato?” Deidara’s mouth formed an ‘o’ and then he smiled knowingly at Itachi. Hidan sprang back up in his seat and looked interested again. 

“Hmmm. I think I always knew. I mean we’ve been together for almost forever.” She smiled softly and a little sadly. “The three of us only had each other for a long time. We were all wary of each other at first, but then we started to trust each other and then trusting turned into relying. They were pretty much my world and then one day I realized that I had always loved them.” She sighed softly and a little sadly. “Sorry Itachi. It’s definitely not the same kind of situation as yours.” He smiled at her softly.

“Thanks Konan. I think...or I’m pretty sure that I am. Or at least I feel  _ something  _ for him I’ve never felt before. But it’s just that I’ve  _ never _ felt it before. How can I be sure?”

“You can’t.” Deidara looked and sounded more serious than Itachi had ever seen him before. “But that’s what love is. And it doesn’t hurt to let yourself think it’s love, even if you’re not sure.” 

“Thanks Deidara.” He smiled kindly at him. 

“I think you should tell the big guy and then maybe he’ll finally fuck your brains out.” Their waitress came back with their drinks at that moment, so Itachi just hid his face in his hands. 

“Hidan.”

“What?! I’m just trying to be helpful!” Itachi started laughing and it was a long moment before he could stop.

“Thanks Hidan.” Hidan smiled at him like he really thought he had been helpful. “I think I understand how I’m feeling. Thank you.”

“Of course.” Konan gently bumped their knees together. “We’re always here for more girl talk.”

“Fuck off bitch! Who are you calling a girl?” They all ignored Hidan. Itachi felt his heart twist in that pleasant way that wasn’t new anymore.

They spent the rest of breakfast planning a fireworks show with experimental explosives Deidara had made. Hidan eagerly volunteered to set them off, and Konan eagerly volunteered to film it from a safe distance. 

Itachi went to Kisame’s garage right after breakfast because he wanted to see him. The other man was busy with something, so he spent most of the day with Zabuza. He usually liked hanging out with Zabuza, but he had a certain kind of tension just under his skin that just kept building throughout the day. It didn't dissipate until he saw Kisame.

Kisame's knuckles were bloody and he looked exhausted, but he still smiled widely when he saw Itachi. "Hey Itachi. Everything okay?" He felt that  _ something _ in his chest again as Kisame looked at him.

"Everything's fine. I just wanted to see you." Kisame's smile grew wider, and that  _ something  _ in his chest grew bigger. 

"You can always come see me." Itachi wanted to kiss him, so he did. They kissed until they both heard someone clear their throat.

"Why don't you guys head out? We can handle whatever's left." Mangetsu was already ushering them out of the garage's office. 

"Alright. Just make sure Ameyuri actually does the rounds she's supposed to."

"Yeah yeah yeah. It'll be fine." He practically pushed them outside. "See ya!" Itachi and Kisame looked at each other.

"Do you want to go anywhere?" Itachi shook his head.

"I just want to go back to your place, if that's okay?" 

"Yeah that's okay." 

The walk to Kisame's apartment didn't take long, but this specific walk felt like hours to him. The  _ something _ in Itachi's chest would grow bigger each time their hands would brush or when they'd catch each other's eye. He thought it might just burst out of him at any moment. He wasn't sure what exactly would happen if it  _ did _ burst out, but a part of him kind of wanted to find out. 

When they were in his apartment, Kisame looked at him like he already knew everything that was on his mind. But, like always, he waited until Itachi was ready to act on it. He made Itachi tea and curled up with him on the couch as he tried to figure out exactly what he wanted and how to ask for it. 

"Kisame." He shifted so he wasn't looking directly at the other man's face. "I….I know it hasn't been long. But I think I'm in love with you." Kisame's arms immediately tightened around him.

" _ Itachi. _ " His voice sounded like he was in awe of something. "I know I'm in love with you." Itachi's breathing hitched and now he definitely couldn't look at Kisame directly. 

"How can you be so sure?" 

"Because I've been in love with you since the night we first met." Itachi felt hot all over and had to hide his face against Kisame's chest. 

"How did you know?" His voice was muffled, but he was sure that the other man could understand him. 

"It was the way you looked at me. Most people get scared or disgusted when they first see my face. But you didn't. You looked at me like you really wanted to and then you  _ kept _ looking at me." 

"I like looking at your face." He pulled away from Kisame's chest to look at his face. The other man was blushing and looking at Itachi in awe. 

"And that's why I'm so sure. I love you, Itachi." He kissed Itachi so gently almost as if he was afraid he might shatter him. 

"I want to have sex with you." Kisame blinked slowly and then just looked at him for a long moment. 

"You don't have to push yourself to do that just because I told you that I love you." Itachi felt his heart skip a beat and then start racing. 

"I'm not. I want to. Well only if you want to." Kisame kissed the top of his head. 

"It’s whatever you want tonight.”

"You say that every night. What do  _ you  _ want?" 

"I want you to be comfortable and feel good. So if you're sure, then I want whatever you want." His heart skipped again. 

"I'm sure. Make love to me, Kisame." He blushed in that way Itachi loved. 

"If you're  _ really _ sure." Itachi rolled his eyes, untangled himself from Kisame, and got up off the couch. 

"I am sure. And I promise I'll tell you if I want to stop." He tugged on the other man's arm until he was standing too. "Now make love to--" Kisame interrupted him with one of those kisses that always made him feel like he was being devoured. He moved Itachi's arms so they were wrapped around his neck and moved his own hands down Itachi's back. He stopped at the back of Itachi's thighs and then lifted. Itachi groaned into the kiss as he wrapped his legs around Kisame's waist. He carried Itachi to the bedroom and then gently placed him on the bed. 

"You have to tell me if you want to stop or you're uncomfortable or I'm hurting you. Okay?"

"I will, I promise." He tugged off Kisame's shirt and then tugged off his own. "I trust you, Kisame." He tugged off his jeans as Kisame grabbed some things from the nightstand. 

"Are you--" Itachi kissed him before he could ask if he was sure again. He unbuttoned his jeans as they kissed and started to pull them down. 

"I love you. And I want to do this with you." Kisame paused for only a moment before pulling his jeans and boxers all the way off. He then pulled Itachi's boxers off and looked at all of him. They had seen all of each other often since that first night, and Itachi no longer wanted to hide away from the other man. Instead he shifted closer. "Please take care of me, Kisame." Kisame groaned low in his throat and then pushed Itachi back gently so he was laying down. 

"I will, Itachi." He kissed Itachi's neck and then his chest in a way that was now familiar. He kissed his hip-bones and thighs in the way that always made Itachi relax. The kisses were replaced with his fingers tracing small circles as his mouth moved just over Itachi's dick. He paused for only a moment before taking almost all of him into his mouth. Itachi made a needy kind of sound and tried not to thrust deeper into his mouth. Kisame always moved so slowly and was always so careful with his teeth. He hollowed his cheeks and sucked in a way that made Itachi whine loudly. 

" _ Kisame. _ " He felt Kisame grin around his dick. Then he felt his hands leave his thighs and heard him open the bottle of lube. This was something they had also done often, so he wasn't as nervous as he had been the first time. Now he was eager and shifted closer as he felt Kisame's hand move. He moved off of Itachi's dick slowly.

"Ready, baby?" He grinned up at him and then brushed a finger against his entrance. 

" _ Kisame, please. _ " His grin grew sharper as he slowly pushed two fingers into Itachi. He let out a needy moan that turned into an even needier whine as Kisame took his dick back into his mouth. Kisame slowly teased him with both his mouth and his fingers. He moved slowly and stayed just out of reach of the spot Itachi desperately wanted him to hit. He scissored his fingers and used his other hand to hold Itachi still. It was the pleasant kind of torture that made him feel so close already, but he wanted more. “ _ More _ .” Kisame slowed his pace even further. “ _ Babe please. _ ” He felt Kisame smile around him, but then he also felt him add another finger. He felt so full, and Kisame was pressing into him so deeply. And then he was finally hitting that spot deep within him that set all of his nerves on fire. Itachi moaned loudly as he came, but couldn’t find it in himself to feel embarrassed. Kisame swallowed and then slowly pulled off of his dick. He kept his fingers deep inside of him, and Itachi still felt like he was on fire everywhere. 

“You’ve never used a pet name before.” Kisame was smiling at him softly while moving his fingers slowly and carefully.

“I thought you’d like it.” His voice was so low and rough it was almost unrecognisable. Kisame leaned up to kiss him.

“I did.” He shifted and pulled his fingers halfway out of him. “We can still stop here for the night.” Itachi shook his head. 

“I want to feel all of you. Please don’t stop here,  _ babe _ .” He lifted his hips so he could push Kisame’s fingers back into himself. Kisame groaned low in his throat as he pushed his fingers even deeper.

“God, I can’t believe you’re real sometimes.” He thrust in and out a few more times, before pulling his fingers out completely. He grabbed one of the pillows and shifted Itachi so he could slide it under his hips. Then he shifted himself so he was kneeling in between Itachi’s legs. He opened the wrapper he had brought over earlier and carefully rolled a condom onto his dick. He covered himself in lube and then shifted even closer to Itachi. “It’ll hurt at first, but I’ll try to be as careful as I can. You’ll need to relax. Okay?” He lifted one of Itachi’s legs so it could wrap around his waist and then gently held his hips.

“Okay.” He shifted even closer, and Itachi could feel him pressing up against his entrance. “I’m ready Kisame.” He looked at Itachi’s face for a long moment before doing anything. Then he started pressing in slowly. It  _ did _ hurt, and Itachi tried to keep his breathing steady. He tried to focus on the way Kisame was rubbing circles into his hips and tried to relax his body. He knew Kisame was big, but he didn’t realize exactly what that would mean until he felt every inch push into him. He felt so incredibly full, and Kisame was pressing so deeply inside of him. Kisame stopped moving as soon as he was fully inside of Itachi. 

“You okay?” He brushed some hair out of Itachi’s face. Itachi nodded as he tried to keep his breathing steady. 

“I...I just need a second.” He reached out and grabbed one of Kisame’s hands tightly. “Okay, you can move.” Kisame waited another long moment before slowly pulling out. He moved slowly and kept his thrusts shallow. The pain lessened quickly, and then Itachi felt fire burning under his skin again. He started meeting Kisame’s thrusts. He clutched Kisame’s hand even tighter as soon as he brushed against that spot inside him. “ _ Kisame _ .”

“You’re doing so well, Itachi.” His voice was husky and his thrusts grew faster. Itachi let go of his hand so he could try to pull him even closer. “So good, baby.” He felt the heat building up inside of him again and he was sure he was going to catch on fire. He kissed Kisame. It was hot and sloppy, but he  _ needed _ to kiss him as he fell over the edge again. They both moaned into the kiss as he came onto both their stomachs. Kisame’s thrusts started getting faster and hitting deeper, and he could barely meet Itachi’s kisses. He started kissing Itachi’s neck and whispering things Itachi couldn’t hear over the rushing of his blood in his ears. His grip tightened on Itachi’s hip and then the kisses turned into gentle bites that had Itachi trying to press their bodies even closer together. The gentle bites got harder and the whispering got breathier as Kisame’s thrusts got less controlled. Kisame bit him hard, moaned low in his throat, and then stilled. He stayed like that for a moment before pulling out of Itachi slowly. He got up to get rid of his condom and clean off their stomachs, and then laid right next to Itachi. He was still breathing heavily and was covered in sweat.

“You’re so beautiful, Kisame.” He laughed and then pulled Itachi in close.

“You okay?” Itachi turned so he could rest his head on his chest.

“Yeah. More than okay. Thank you.” He felt Kisame kiss the top of his head.

“I love you, Itachi.” He kissed his chest and then shifted so he could hear his heartbeat.

“I love you too, Kisame.” 

He fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes. 


	14. Chapter 14

He didn’t tell anyone about what they said or what they did that night, but somehow everyone could just tell. Kakuzu told him that he was ‘glad he found someone’ and then patted him on the shoulder. Sometimes the other man acted more like a father to him than his own had. Konan texted him ‘glad you guys talked, I’m always here if you need me’ with a bunch of heart emojis. Hidan took one look at him, screamed ‘YOU GUYS FUCKED’, and then shook Itachi back and forth a lot. All of it made him feel embarrassed. But it also made him feel happy in a way he had never really felt before.

Orochimaru could also seem to tell that something had happened. He’d look at Itachi in an odd sort of way like he was trying to figure out  _ exactly _ what was different with him. He also seemed to need Itachi’s help a lot more and would have him running odd jobs that would take up most of the night. These jobs kept him from seeing Kisame most of the time, which he was sure was the true purpose of them. The jobs were weird and suspicious though, so he couldn’t say no to Orochimaru even though he wanted to. He had already told Kisame about the odd discrepancies and Yahiko’s request, so he understood. But that didn’t make any of the older man’s requests less frustrating. 

Itachi would spend what mornings he could at the garage with Kisame so he could at least have some time with him. Everyone else must’ve known a bit of what was going on because they left them relatively alone whenever Itachi would come by. They’d usually shut themselves up in the office that was mostly for show and would talk about how they were spending their nights apart. Or sometimes they’d just make out until Itachi had to leave. He liked both types of mornings. 

Today he had helped Kisame touch up the garage’s fake receipts and expense reports and now he was sitting on the desk with Kisame standing in between his legs. They had already been kissing for a long time and, as Itachi didn’t have to go to work, they were probably going to keep kissing for a long time. He felt hot all over and wanted Kisame closer. They hadn’t been properly alone since the night they had sex. He thought about that night a lot and wanted to feel Kisame like that again. He whispered that into the other man’s ear and loved the way Kisame pressed even closer.

“I think about it a lot too.” Kisame’s hands were hot on his back and his breath was hot on his ear. “You were so fucking good for me baby.” Itachi’s breathing hitched both at his words and at the sharp bite to his ear. Kisame rarely spoke to him like that, and it made him groan and press even closer. “Sometimes when you stop by, I think about just spreading you out on this desk and taking you apart.” He groaned again. “Would you like that, Itachi?”

“ _ Yes _ .” He knew they weren’t the only ones in the building and that someone else could come in at any time, but he also knew he needed to feel Kisame so much closer. He leaned back just far enough to unbutton Kisame’s jeans and tug his zipper down. He could see the other man grinning down at him, but he was focused on pulling his boxers down just enough. He had just started to push them down when the door to the office slammed open. They both immediately looked over, ready to tell whomever it was to come back later. Orochimaru looked back at them with narrowed eyes and a disgusted look. 

“I didn’t expect to see you here, Itachi.” His blood ran cold, and he immediately pulled his hands away from Kisame.

“Hello Orochimaru. I had stopped by to help Kisame with something.” His voice sounded hoarse, and they were both trying to quickly fix their clothes. It was extremely obvious what they had been doing, and it was clear Orochimaru knew.

“Oh I can see that.” His voice was tight with anger. “I have an upcoming drop I need to discuss with Kisame. Itachi, please wait for me at home. There is much I think we need to talk about.” Itachi slid off the desk even though he didn’t want to. 

“I’ll see you later, Kisame.” He squeezed his hand quickly because he thought Orochimaru might actually try to kill them if he kissed him. He nodded once to Orochimaru and then slipped out of the office. He walked by Kabuto as he left the garage, and the other man had a smug look on his face like he knew something Itachi didn’t. It made him want to punch the other man. 

Itachi had to wait hours for Orochimaru to come back. He knew the older man was making him wait on purpose, probably hoping to make him anxious. It just made him angry. He was sick of Orochimaru treating him like a child or a pet. 

It was late when he did get back. His face was flushed like he had been running or drinking, and he had a weird look in his eye when he saw Itachi. “Follow me.” He walked out of the living room, and Itachi followed him up until the door to his bedroom. He still tried to avoid Orochimaru’s bedroom, especially after their last conversation there, so he hesitated in the doorway. “Come in, Itachi.” He went in even though he didn’t want to. Orochimaru was already in bed and patted a spot next to him. Itachi walked over and hesitated before sitting down. He sat an arms length away this time. Orochimaru immediately shifted closer, but didn’t say anything. 

“What did you want to talk about, Orochimaru?” He put a hand high on Itachi’s thigh, and a shiver of disgust rolled through him.

“We both know what I saw this morning.” Itachi nodded because he couldn’t deny it. “I’m worried about you, Itachi.” He started to move his hand higher, so Itachi tried to shift back further. “Doing something like that isn’t like you at all. I’m worried that he’s forcing you to do things that you don’t want to do.”

“He’s not.” Orochimaru’s grip tightened on his leg.

“Oh? So you wanted him to fuck you against that desk where anyone could see?” He tried to pull his leg away, but Orochimaru grabbed his other one just as tightly. 

“I’d rather not discuss this.” 

“I wouldn’t either, but your experimentation with him has gone too far. I’m the only one who should be touching you that way.” He leaned in closer, and Itachi could smell the alcohol on his breath. “It’s going to be just us again soon, and you have a lot you’re going to need to beg forgiveness for.” He leaned in even more as if he were going to kiss Itachi. But Itachi pushed him hard in the chest, pulled his legs free, and got off of the bed. 

“I will not be begging forgiveness for anything. Good night, Orochimaru.” He left the room quickly, grabbed his jacket, and then left the apartment. 

He called Yahiko as he walked and told him it seemed like Orochimaru was getting ready to run. That or he was getting ready to lock Itachi in a cage. Yahiko assured him that they wouldn’t let either thing happen and that they would handle it. He then texted Kisame that he was on his way over and hoped the other man was still awake. 

Kisame was awake and looked worried when he let Itachi in. "Is everything okay?" He hugged Kisame and hid his face in his chest. 

"I don't want to go back there." Kisame hugged him back tightly. 

"You don't have to." 

He spent the night holding Kisame tightly with his ear pressed over his heart. 


	15. Chapter 15

He spent the next two weeks at Kisame's. He blocked Orochimaru's number as the older man called and texted constantly throughout the day. He still went to work with Kakuzu and waited to hear from Yahiko. He also asked Nagato to use his network to keep an eye on Sasuke, and the other man said he would.

Kisame woke him up early one of the days they both had off work. He told Itachi he was taking him somewhere, but didn't tell him where. He made him coffee and then ushered him into his car. The car ride took an hour and they spent it talking about weird things Hidan had done. 

Eventually they got there and there ended up being the aquarium. Itachi had only ever been once before when he was a little kid and he didn't remember it well. "Do you come here often?" 

"Yeah. Sometimes I just come to look at the sharks. Sometimes Zetsu and I get high and then come to look at the jellyfish." They walked across the large parking lot.

"We should've done that." Kisame laughed loudly. 

"We can next time." 

The lobby was mostly empty, but there were some kids around that were probably on a field trip. Kisame got them tickets and then pulled him over to the entrance. He didn't pick up a map so Itachi didn't either.

Kisame led Itachi through like he worked there. He knew which fish were in each of the tanks and told Itachi facts about all of them. The glow from the tanks made him look otherworldly, and they stopped often as Itachi would pull him down for a kiss. They also stopped often just to stare at all of the different fish. 

They were standing in front of the jellyfish watching the lights in the tank change color as he heard a group of kids wander into the area. They were loud, but all of the other visitors had been loud too so Itachi didn't pay attention to them. Instead he listened as Kisame described the jellyfish to him. Then he listened as Kisame asked, "Still wish we had gotten high first?" He laughed and it sounded loud in the room. 

"I do. But we can do it next time." Kisame smiled down at him, so he started to shift onto his toes to kiss him. 

"Itachi?" His heart stopped, and he stumbled as he turned quickly. Sasuke was staring at him in disbelief. He was taller and looked older, and it made Itachi's heart throb painfully. 

"Sasuke." He looked at Itachi for a long moment before throwing himself at him. He held him tightly and then started crying against his chest. Itachi could see all of the kids looking at them in interest. He could also see Sasuke's friend Naruto looking like he wanted to run over too and Naruto's mother Kushina holding him back. Itachi turned so his back was to the kids. He ran his fingers through Sasuke's hair as his brother continued crying. Kisame started rubbing circles on his own back, and he relaxed into the touch. He could hear the kids whispering and Kushina chastising them, but he stayed focused on Sasuke. 

Sasuke stopped crying after a handful of minutes and pulled back to look at Itachi. His eyes were all puffy and his face was covered in tears. Itachi tried to wipe them away as gently as he could. "I've missed you, Sasuke."

"I missed you too." His voice was watery like he could cry again at any second. "Why haven't you come back yet?" Itachi sighed and looked his brother in the eye.

"I'm not going back. I left for a lot of reasons and I can't go back because of them. But that doesn't mean I love you any less." Sasuke sniffled and then looked just behind Itachi.

"Who's this guy?" He also looked up at Kisame who was smiling softly at them. 

"This is my boyfriend Kisame." He shifted so they could see each other better. "Kisame, this is Sasuke." Sasuke looked Kisame over slowly, and it looked like he wasn't sure what to make of the taller man. Kisame held out a hand.

"Hey kid, it's nice to meet you." Sasuke took the hand cautiously and then shook it once before letting go.

"Yeah whatever." Itachi frowned at him. 

"Sasuke--"

"Itachi!" He felt someone grab onto his right arm and someone else grab onto his left arm. Both Naruto and Kushina also looked close to tears. "We missed you too!" 

"Your mom's been so worried! And I lost my best babysitter!" They were both yelling directly into his ears.

"Sasuke's missed you and has been such a jerk about it!" Sasuke glared at Naruto. 

"Your hair's so long and you look so cool!" Now they were both crying. 

"Naruto. Kushina. I missed you too and I apologize for making you worry." He tried to gently shake them off of his arms. "And I apologize for disrupting your field trip."

"Oh you've always been too polite." They had already stopped crying and let go of his arms. "Now I heard you say 'boyfriend'?" Kushina looked over at Kisame with a mischievous gleam that Itachi recognized. 

"This is Kisame." He smiled in the way that showed off his sharpened teeth. "This is Sasuke's best friend Naruto and his mother, Kushina." She pushed Itachi aside.

"And I'm Itachi's mom's best friend so I have some good embarrassing pictures of him." She already had her phone out. 

"Kushina--"

"Excuse me." A girl with bright pink hair and a girl with long blonde hair were looking up at him. "Are you  _ really _ Sasuke's brother?" 

"Yes." 

"Of course he is Billboard Brow. Just look at him." The two girls turned to glare at each other.

"Sasuke's brother has been missing,  _ Ino Pig _ ." They started bickering with each other, and Itachi didn't know what to do. He looked over at Sasuke for help, but his brother and Naruto were too busy trying to put each other in a headlock. He looked over at Kisame, but was looking at Kushina's phone. He looked over at the other kids, but none of them looked like they'd be of much help. 

"Kisame." Both Kisame and Sasuke looked over at him. Naruto used that to his advantage and was able to get Sasuke into a headlock. But then Sasuke elbowed him hard in the stomach. "Sasuke, don't elbow Naruto." 

"Naruto, get off of him!" Kushina shouted it as she moved over to pull them apart. Naruto pouted and Sasuke sulked. 

"You can't tell me what to do anymore." Sasuke’s tone was harsh. Itachi frowned, but he didn't really have anything he could say back to that. Kisame walked over and wrapped an arm around his waist. The two girls stopped bickering to stare at them, which wasn't any better. 

"Everything okay?" He whispered it to him, which Itachi appreciated as now all the kids were looking at them again. 

"Yeah, I just--"

"Are you leaving again?" Sasuke sounded both angry and close to tears, and it made him feel guilty. 

"No…" He looked up at Kisame as he wasn't sure what to do or say. 

"We'd love to join your group if that's allowed." He smiled at Kushina like they were already old friends. 

"Yes! Watching all of these kids is a nightmare!"

"Hey!" Most of the kids shouted it at once. Kisame laughed, and he felt some of the guilt disappear. 

"What do you guys have left?" Kushina shrugged and looked over at a kid who looked like he was sleeping standing up.

"Shikamaru, where's our map?" The kid kept his eyes closed as he pulled something out of his pocket. He held his arm out holding the map but didn't make any move to walk over to them. "Naruto go get it." Naruto grumbled, but went and got the map. He handed it to them with another grumble. A few things were marked with X's. 

"Oh you guys still haven't seen the sharks. I'll show you the way." His arm tightened once around Itachi before he pulled away. He gestured over at Sasuke, winked at Itachi, and then started walking with Naruto. His heart twisted pleasantly as he realized what Kisame was doing. He lingered and then walked over to Sasuke once most of the other kids had already started moving. 

"Mind if I walk with you?" 

"Yeah whatever." His voice still had that mix of anger and almost tears. Itachi wanted to say something else, but he had no idea what he could say. He listened to Kisame tell the kids some fish facts as he watched Sasuke out of the corner of his eye. "People kept saying you were dead." Now Sasuke just sounded angry. "And it's not like I had any proof you weren't." The guilt was back full force.

"I'm sorry Sasuke. I didn't mean to worry you."

"Then you should've fucking called or something."

"Language." He said it without really thinking. Sasuke stopped walking and glared at him.

"You don't get to tell me what to do like you never left. Especially when we were all worried for nothing. You've probably just been with your stupid boyfriend the whole time." Itachi wanted to sigh, but thought Sasuke would take it the wrong way. 

"I am  _ truly _ sorry for leaving you Sasuke. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but I had to do it. There's a lot going on and it's complicated, but it's not Kisame's fault. It's my fault." His glare softened, but he didn't disappear entirely.

"Whatever. I'm not just gonna forgive you." 

"I wouldn't expect you to." His glare softened a little more and then he started walking again. Itachi followed. When they caught up with the group, Sasuke walked over to Naruto and he didn't follow. He wanted to walk over to Kisame, but the other man was telling them about stingrays and Kushina was already cornering him.

"Going to yell at me too?" 

"No, but I should. Your mom really is worried and has been thinking she's the worst mother in the world." The guilt pressed even heavier on his chest. 

"She's not. I knew she'd be upset, I really didn't want her to be. She's a good mother. I just couldn't stay there. I--" Kushina hugged him tightly.

"I'm really not gonna yell at you. I get it. I would've run too if Fugaku was my dad." Itachi laughed into her shoulder. "And seeing you with big and tall over there definitely clears some things up. I just want to make sure you're okay. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'll admit it hasn't been easy, but things have gotten a lot better." She squeezed him so tightly that he thought he was going to burst and then let him go. 

"Good. Do you mind if I tell your mom we saw you?" He shook his head.

"Can you also tell her she's a good mother?" 

"Of course. Now go send Sasuke and Naruto over here so I can talk to them." She shoved him in the direction of her son. They must've been eavesdropping because they both ran to her as soon as Itachi got close. Instead he walked over to Kisame, who immediately wrapped an arm around him when he was close enough. 

"You okay?" He shrugged.

"Sasuke's mad at me, but I expected him to be. I just feel so guilty." 

"Just consider all the time you've spent with Orochimaru as penance and then you'll feel less guilty." He laughed and pressed him further into Kisame's side.

"Thank you." 

They eventually got to the sharks, and almost all of the kids pressed themselves up against the glass. A part of Itachi wanted to press up against the glass too, but he stayed back with Kisame. "Kisame what's this one?!" Naruto's yell echoed around the room as he pointed at a particular shark. Sasuke slapped a hand over his mouth and that echoed too. Kisame followed Naruto's hand and smiled in that particular way that made Itachi want to kiss him. He didn't though as now all of the kids were looking at them. 

"That's a nurse shark. They're usually nocturnal." 

"What about that one?" The pink haired girl pointed to a different shark. 

"Sandbar shark. They're one of the safest sharks to swim with." Itachi had a feeling Kisame knew that from experience. 

"That one?" Sasuke sounded like he didn't really care, but he still asked. Itachi tried to hide his smile. 

"That's a bull shark. They can swim in salt and freshwater. And have a nasty strong bite." He smiled in the way that showed off how pointed his own teeth were. Sasuke gave him a weird look and then turned back to the sharks.

They spent the rest of the day following the group around. Sasuke slowly warmed up to him as the day went on. He told Itachi about some of the things he missed over the years, and Itachi told him what he could about his own life. He also asked him if he wouldn't mind hanging out after he took care of a few things. Sasuke said he'd think about it, which wasn't a yes but also wasn't an outright no. It made his heart feel a little lighter.

Watching Kisame throughout the day also made his heart feel light. The other man spent the day answering the kids' questions and even looked happy doing it. He was so incredibly patient with them, especially with the two shy kids in the group. They kept trying to ask questions in the quietest voices possible, but Kisame tried his best to hear them. He was helped a lot by a kid Sasuke referred to as 'Dog Breath' who'd sometimes shout their questions for them. Watching him with the kids made Itachi feel that  _ something _ that he was pretty sure was love. 

The guilt and the heaviness came back all at once as their group reached the gift shop. He wasn't sure when he'd actually be able to see Sasuke again or if he'd ever be able to. But he tried to keep that off of his face when he looked at his brother. “Hey, go pick something out kid.” Sasuke looked up at Kisame suspiciously.

“Buying me something isn’t going to make me like you.” Itachi wanted to say something, but Kisame just grinned good-naturedly. 

“Didn’t think it would.” Sasuke still looked suspicious, but he wandered away and started looking at things. 

“You don’t have to get him anything.”

“I know. Now go pick something out too. I want to talk to Kushina about something.” Now Itachi was looking at him suspiciously. “It’s nothing bad, babe.” He kissed the top of Itachi’s head and gently nudged him away. He caught Sasuke looking at them with a scowl. He sighed and wandered over to a shelf. He pretended to look at things he didn’t want and tried to listen in on Kisame. But the other man knew him too well and kept his voice low. He ended up just picking up a keychain because he knew Kisame would just make him go back if he didn’t have something. 

Kisame raised an eyebrow at the keychain, but didn’t say anything. Sasuke came back with a book on sharks and wouldn’t meet Kisame’s eyes. The other man took both and went to wait in line, leaving the brothers together. Sasuke looked like he was sulking, and Itachi wished he knew more about teenagers. “I’m glad we ran into each other today.” Sasuke crossed his arm tight across his chest and looked over at Naruto.

“I am too.” His voice was quiet, but his response was loud enough for Itachi to hear. 

“I can call you soon, if that’s alright?” Sasuke was quiet for a long moment.

“Yeah that’s alright.” And then he was hugging Itachi tightly. “I love you, Itachi.” 

“I love you too, Sasuke.” He hugged back just as tightly. Sasuke pulled away when Kisame came back with a bag. 

“Here you go, kid.” Sasuke took it without saying thanks. Itachi wanted to reprimand him, but was too afraid of breaking the fragile moment they just had.

“Goodbye Sasuke. I’ll talk to you soon, okay?” Sasuke looked like he was sulking again.

“Bye Itachi.” He waved to Kushina and Naruto, and then they slipped out of the gift shop. They didn’t say anything as they left the aquarium and walked across the large parking lot. They were also quiet as they climbed into the car. 

“You okay Itachi?”

“Yeah.” His voice was shakier than he thought it’d be. “I’m happy that he's safe, and I got to see him. But I also just feel terrible.” Kisame started rubbing circles on his back. “He’s so much taller and so mucher ruder than I remember.” 

“All teenagers are rude.” He laughed and leaned into Kisame’s touch.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Thank you for today.” He leaned over to kiss him.

“MOM, ITACHI’S MAKING OUT WITH HIS BOYFRIEND!” He pulled back and hid his face in his hands as Kisame laughed. 

“He sure can yell.” 

“Yes, Naruto’s very loud.” He pulled his head up just to see Sasuke scowling at them from across the parking lot. He put his head back down. “Can we go home now?” 

“Yeah we can go home.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is the brief appearance of the rookie 9!! They're all there even though I couldn't figure out how to reference my boy Choji. Just imagine he's looking at the fish and eating chips and being a good kid.
> 
> They're all part 1 Naruto age, so this is what I imagine Sasuke would've been like without all the trauma.


	16. Chapter 16

Itachi couldn’t sleep that night. The guilt was still pressing down heavily on his chest and it only got heavier as he lay there. He kept thinking about Sasuke crying today and the day he left. He also kept thinking about how everyone had been worried that he died. Then he'd think about his father which would just make him angry. It wasn't even  _ his _ fault he worried everyone. But then he'd look over at Kisame and feel guilty all over again. He  _ was _ only there because of his father, which meant he had been lying to Kisame since they met. 

He laid there in the dark spiraling into a weird fusion of guilt and panic. He kept imagining terrible things that seemed likelier and likelier to happen the longer he thought about them. The pressing on his chest only got worse, and now he could barely breathe. He shook Kisame awake. He felt like he'd suffocate if he didn't tell the truth right then. 

"What's wrong?" Kisame woke up alert and alarmed. He looked around the room quickly before looking at Itachi.

"I lied." His voice sounded all wrong. Kisame's alarmed look gave way to a concerned one. 

"Babe, what's wrong?" He tried to reach out and take his hand, but Itachi pulled back. He looked more concerned. "Itachi?"

"I lied to you the night we met." Kisame's eyebrows furrowed, and he was probably trying to remember everything they talked about that night. "You asked me why I didn't leave Orochimaru's, and I lied to you." 

"That's okay." He tried to reach out again, but Itachi just moved further away on the bed. "Itachi, have you slept at all?"

"No. But that's not important right now. I was only with Orochimaru because my father told me to be." 

"Your father told you to live with him?"

"Yes." His thoughts felt all jumbled together. "Well no. He told me I should find him and earn his trust." 

"But he didn't tell you about the pictures?" Kisame didn't try to reach out for him again, but he looked like he wanted to. 

"No. He told me…..he told me to find the Akatsuki." Kisame made a noise that could've been understanding and looked less concerned. 

"And you found us." Itachi nodded and felt close to tears. "But I know you haven't told your father that."

"Why do you sound so sure?" 

"Because we all already kind of suspected the truth. Nagato's been keeping an eye on you. It's been months, and the only person you've ever called was your cousin." 

"So you knew the whole time?" 

"Well I was pretty sure. Just like I'm pretty sure you ended up choosing us."

"I did." The pressure on his chest burst, and he started crying. Kisame reached for him again, and this time Itachi let himself be pulled into the other man's arms. He cried against his neck for a long time as Kisame made soothing noises in his ear. 

When he eventually stopped crying, Kisame helped him wipe the tears off his face. "You really knew, but let me be with you like this?" 

"Yeah. I meant it when I said I fell in love with you that night. You've had my love and loyalty since we met." Itachi felt weightless and leaned in to kiss each of the scars on Kisame's face.

"I love you so much, and I'm so so so sorry I lied to you." 

"It's okay Itachi. I knew you weren't gonna give us up." 

"I won't." He shifted back into the other man's arms. "I'll tell Yahiko the truth too." Kisame moved them so they were both lying down again. 

"You don't have to."

"I want to. I don't want anyone to think the worst of me if I run into my father or something." 

"True." He kissed the top of Itachi's head. "Now try to get some sleep babe." 

"Okay. Love you." He could feel Kisame's smile against his head.

"Love you too."

Itachi waited a couple of days for his panic to become more manageable before asking to meet up with Yahiko. He told him to come to their apartment, which meant Nagato and Konan were there too. As soon as he got there, Konan gave him a mug of some flowery tea, and he wanted to cry again. "What did you need to talk about?" 

"I wanted to tell you the real reason I was with Orochimaru." They all had the same look of understanding. "I know you already suspected it. My father wanted me to find the Akatsuki and there was a rumor Orochimaru was a member. He told me Orochimaru had an interest in me, but not the…. _ extent  _ of that interest. I found him and then I found you."

"And now here we are." Yahiko didn't look surprised. "What are you planning to do?"

"Nothing. I'm not going to tell my father anything. I….this is the first time I felt like I really belonged somewhere. I know I lied, but I'd like to stay here with everyone." Konan smiled at him kindly.

"We want you to stay too, Itachi. But we are still going to keep an eye on you at first." He nodded because that was more than fair. "And we still need your help with Orochimaru. Since your last call, he's been difficult to reach. It looks like he's getting ready to leave town, but I don't think he will without you." 

"I agree. I can play bait." 

"Thank you. Now come over here." He was a bit hesitant as he walked over to the couch where they were all sitting. As soon as he was close enough, Konan dragged him down so he was on top of them. All three of them immediately wrapped him into a tight hug.

"You're our friend, Itachi. You've already wormed your way in, so you don't have to worry about your dad or Orochimaru. Okay?"

"Okay." He hugged back as best he could and tried not to cry.


	17. Chapter 17

A day after he talked to Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato, he noticed someone following him as he walked to work. He could feel the familiar weight of Orochimaru's stare and had a bad feeling. He called Nagato. "What's up?" 

"I'm pretty sure that Orochimaru's following me." He could hear Nagato typing over the phone.

"Where are you?" 

"That alleyway between Sharingan and Byakugan." 

"Hmm that one doesn't have any cameras." He looked up and realized Nagato was right. "Do you want to run or try and corner him there? I can send some other people over." 

"If he approaches, we should try to corner. If not, we can get ready to when I leave Taki. I have a feeling he'll reveal himself at some point today."

"Alright. Keep this call open and put your phone in your pocket. I think Hidan's closest so I'll send him over if I hear Orochimaru." 

"Got it, thank you. I'll talk to you later." He pulled his phone away from his ear, pretended to end the call, and slipped it into his pocket. 

After a couple of minutes Itachi heard footsteps right behind him. He had hoped to get to the street before any confrontation, but he was still in the alley. He turned to face Orochimaru. The older man was wearing large sunglasses and had both hands hidden deep in his pockets. "Hello Orochimaru." 

"Hello Itachi. It's been a while."

"It's only been three weeks." Orochimaru's smile looked strained.

"Well it felt like a long time." He took a couple of steps closer, and Itachi stood his ground. He noticed that the older man had his bag on his back--the one full of cash, most of his knives, and his gun. He put his hand in his pocket and grabbed the switchblade he had on him. "We're leaving the Leaf. Itachi."

"What about the Akatsuki?" His grip on the blade tightened, but he didn't pull it out yet. 

"I don't need them anymore. And they won't be around much longer." His heart started racing, but he tried to keep the panic off his face and out of his voice.

"What do you mean?" He tried to keep his voice curious and light. 

"I mean the police got an anonymous tip from a reliable source today with the locations and names of suspected Akatsuki gang members. I didn't want any of them getting in the way of our departure." Itachi hoped Nagato heard that clearly and had enough time to do  _ something _ . "I am truly sorry for mixing you up with them, Itachi. You were never supposed to actually meet any of them. That was just supposed to be something to get you alone and looking for me." Itachi's panic skyrocketed as he started to understand what the older man was telling him. 

"What are you talking about?"

"I still have friends on the force and you were sent to me as a gift." Itachi felt nauseous. “Now be a good boy and come with me.”

“No, I don’t think I will.” He took a step back and immediately hit someone. The someone immediately wrapped their arms around him to keep him still. Itachi felt like an idiot for being so focused on Orochimaru that he didn’t notice someone else get that close to him. 

“Thank you Jirōbō. Please hold him still.” Orochimaru pulled a syringe out of his pocket and walked over to them. Itachi couldn’t tell what it was, but he knew he couldn’t let Orochimaru inject him with it. He waited until Orochimaru was a few steps away, then he slammed his head back against Jirōbō’s face as hard as he could and stomped down on his foot. He heard something crack, and Jirōbō let go of him.

“Fuck!” His voice was muffled like his nose was broken. Orochimaru was still reaching towards him with the syringe. Itachi pulled out his switchblade, flipped it open, and then brought it down hard on Orochimaru’s hand. The syringe fell to the ground along with a couple of Orochimaru’s fingers. Blood sprayed out covering Itachi and Orochimaru before the older man tried to stop the bleeding. Orochimaru looked wildeyed and dangerous. Itachi looked down at the fingers and then ran. He heard a gunshot and felt a sting on his face, but kept running. 

He ran to the garage because he wasn’t sure where else to go and because he needed to see Kisame. He needed to know that he was okay and had to believe that Nagato was able to do  _ something  _ in time. He didn’t stop running until the garage was in sight and then he only stopped because a police car was in sight too. The car was parked and empty, but he had no idea what was happening inside. He tried to catch his breath and think, but he had too much to think about. 

And then he heard a noise in his pocket. He pulled out his phone and realized the call with Nagato was still open. “Nagato?”

“Thank Christ! I thought I heard a gunshot and you weren’t responding!” Nagato was breathing heavily like he had been running too. 

“Sorry. There  _ was _ a gunshot, but I’m alright. Could you hear him?” 

“Yeah, and I’m so fucking happy I told you to keep the call open. I got to everyone in time and the police haven’t seen anything. Since it was just a tip they can’t really do anything.”

“Good. Is Kisame okay?” His heart was still racing.

“Yeah. He’s still talking to some cops, but just nothing he can’t handle.”

“Okay good. I ran here and I’m going to go in.”

“You might want to wait. Your dad’s in there.” Itachi groaned, but then an idea came to him.

“Actually I think I have an idea to deal with the police and Orochimaru for now.” Nagato didn’t respond at first.

“Alright. I’m trusting you on this, Itachi.” He thought about Nagato and then he thought about the rest of the Akatsuki. He thought about his friends.

“I won’t let you down.” He hung up, jumped until he was out of breath again, and then ran to the garage.

He flung the door to the lobby open and barrelled inside. Kisame, Zabuza, his father, and some other police officer all turned to look at him. Kisame’s bored look immediately turned to panic as he rushed over. “Itachi! Where are you hurt?” He followed Kisame’s gaze and realized that most of his shirt was covered in blood.

“It’s not mine.” 

“Some of it has to be.” Kisame touched his face gently, and it stung. “You’re bleeding.” He remembered the gunshot. 

“He...he  _ shot _ me.” He could feel the other man’s panic grow. “He actually shot me.” That seemed to wake his father up from whatever he fell into upon seeing Itachi. 

“Itachi?” He looked over and tried to look surprised, like he  _ just _ noticed his father in the room. “What the hell is going on?” 

“Uh, I’m going to get the first aid kit.” Zabuza left the room quickly as his father walked over. 

“Father? What are you doing here?” 

“What are  _ you _ doing here? And get your hand off my son.” He pushed Kisame to the side, and Itachi frowned. It had been years since they had seen each other, but his father was acting like no time had passed and was trying to take control of the scene. 

“My boyfriend works here. What are  _ you _ doing here?” He looked over to Kisame and tried to explain his idea with just a look. He couldn’t tell if it worked or not as Kisame had trouble looking away from his cheek.

“Who shot you?” Itachi wanted to roll his eyes, but instead he bit the inside of his cheek and tried to look shaken up.

“Orochimaru.  _ What are you doing here _ ?” His father’s eyes widened. 

“Orochimaru? You’ve seen him?” He bit the inside of his cheek hard enough to draw blood and then looked over at Kisame again.

“What is  _ he _ doing here?” His father made some sort of noise, but he didn’t look back over. Instead he reached a hand out to Kisame who immediately took it and squeezed.

“He wanted to check out the garage. Apparently someone said we were just a front.”

“Oh?  _ Oh _ .” He tried to keep his voice light and believable. 

“Itachi, what--”

“This is Orocihmaru’s fault. He said he was going to get everyone out of his way and then he...he was going to take me somewhere.” A look of understanding flashed on Kisame’s face quickly. He squeezed Itachi’s hand again. “He tried to drug me, but I got away and ran here.” 

“What do you mean, Itachi?” His father was looking at him sternly. 

“Orochimaru was planning to take me out of the city. He was saying all these things like I belonged to him and no one was going to get in his way anymore and he probably called in a tip on all my friends to keep them busy. He...he has this  _ fixation _ on me. Is this the only place you’ve been called to?” His father was frowning at the hand still holding Kisame’s and looked like he didn’t want to answer. But he was either curious or following Itachi’s supposed train of thought because he did answer.

“The same person also mentioned Taki Accounting, a fireworks stand, Scorpion Crafts, and Kaguya’s Nursery. Do you know them?” Itachi laughed and it sounded strained.

“I work at Taki and my friends own the other places. He was just trying to keep all my friends busy as he attacked me.” His father’s frown grew more pronounced. He stayed silent as Zabuza came back with the first aid kit.

“Here.” Kisame took it and then leaned closer to look at the wound.

“Looks like it just grazed you. I don’t think you’ll need stitches.” He opened the kit, but then his father made another noise. 

“I’ll do it.” Itachi frowned and shifted closer to Kisame.

“No, I’d prefer him to.” Kisame started to clean the wound gently as his father scowled at them.

“Itachi, what exactly is your relationship with this man?” He did roll his eyes that time, but only Kisame could see it. The other man laughed quietly.

“He’s my boyfriend.” His father made a noise like he was choking on something. He couldn’t see the face he was making as Kisame was taping a bandage to his face. 

"You're coming back to the station with me." He rolled his eyes again, but then winked at Kisame.

"Are you going to tell the other officers the call was a false alarm?" 

"Already did." He had almost forgotten about the other cop. His father's scowl deepened.

"Thank you."

"Let's go, Itachi." His father was already walking towards the door and expecting him to follow.

"I can take him." The scowl turned into a glare as his father looked at Kisame.

"That won't be needed. He's my son and he'll go with me." Kisame looked at him to make the call, and his heart twisted with the trust he was showing him.

"It's okay Kisame. You can call everyone to make sure they're okay and tell them what happened while I go. Then you can come pick me up from the station. Okay?"

"Okay." Itachi shifted onto his toes and kissed him. He did it mostly because he wanted to and partly because he wanted to annoy his father. His father did end up making that weird choking noise again as Zabuza whistled. Kisame hugged him tightly. "I love you. Be safe Itachi." He could hear the worry and panic from earlier back in his voice. 

"I love you too. Keep an eye out." They pulled apart, and Itachi followed his father out of the building. 

He had to sit in the back of the car as they rode to the station. His father didn't say anything to him at all, so he didn't say anything either. The atmosphere in the car was incredibly awkward. 

His father led him to his office and told him to wait. Then he left, presumably to get Hiruzen and Danzo. He checked his phone as he waited and already had texts from everyone. Kisame must’ve told them exactly what he needed him to as the texts all sounded like they were from concerned friends who didn’t really know Orochimaru at all. Both Hidan and Deidara referred to him as Itachi’s ‘evil sugar daddy’, which made him laugh loudly. He had to immediately turn the laugh into a weird cough though as his father came back in that moment. He had a concerned-looking Hiruzen and frustrated-looking Danzo with him.

“Itachi, I’m so sorry this is how we have to meet again.” 

“That’s okay, sir. I knew the risks.” He had to squeeze his hand tightly as he said it, just to keep his voice even. He  _ hadn’t  _ know all the risks and he was still angry about it. 

“Tell us everything, son.” Itachi took a deep breath and then told them everything. Well he told them something.

He told them mostly the truth about what happened for the first year he was gone. And he told the truth about how Orochimaru found him. But then he started to embellish a bit. He was mostly telling the truth about how Orochimaru forced him into living with him, but he also added in a few things just to set the scene a little better. He told them how he had met all his friends and Kisame  _ before _ Orochimaru, and how the older man did everything he could to keep him from them. About how they tried to help him, also how Orochimaru had him followed and monitored his phone. How he made threats against Sasuke to keep Itachi from going to his father for help. And how Orochimaru was responsible for the cocaine trade in the city without any connections at all to the Akatsuki. He ended it with everything that had happened earlier in the alleyway. 

Itachi looked at Hiruzen and Danzo closely as he spoke. He knew one of them had to be the ‘friend on the force’ Orochimaru referred to earlier. He was careful not to mention that Orochimaru had let that information slip out. As he spoke Hiruzen looked concerned, guilty, and ashamed. Danzo kept the same look of frustration that he entered the room with as he spoke. It wasn’t exactly a confession, but it was enough for Itachi. 

All three of them were silent for a moment as Itachi finished talking. Then his father looked at him with a serious expression. “So you really are  _ involved _ with that man?” Itachi couldn’t stop the disbelief from crossing his face.

“After everything I said,  _ that’s _ that you’re asking about?” His father frowned at his tone. 

“Maybe we should save the more personal questions for later.” Hiruzen looked uncomfortable trying to play peacekeeper between him and his father. “Itachi, I’m sorry we put you in that situation as a result of bad information. We will do everything we can to keep you safe as we search for Orochimaru. Do you think he’s still in the city?” He thought about the look that was in Orochimaru’s eyes as he cut his fingers off. 

“Yes. I don’t think he’ll leave without me. Or at least without paying me back first.” Hiruzen nodded thoughtfully. 

“Then we’ll keep a watch on you so we can find him.” They were planning to use him as bait for the  _ third _ time for Orochimaru. He wanted to break something. Instead he nodded once.

“Itachi--” Someone knocked hard on the door twice before opening it.

“Uh sir?” He was looking at his father. “Your wife’s here and she’s demanding to see you and your son. And...uh..there’s also a ton of other people here asking for him. Very loudly I might add.” Itachi’s heart swelled.

“Tell her--”

“That they’ll be right out.” Hiruzen smiled at him kindly. “I’m sure she’s missed you very much.” His father scowled, but didn’t say anything. They all stood and walked to the door, so Itachi did too. 

He followed his father to the lobby, and his heart swelled even further. He could see his mother and Sasuke and all of the Akatsuki. They were all looking around, and Hidan and Deidara were shouting something nonstop. Someone must’ve noticed them and said something, because everyone turned to look at him at once. His mother started to move towards them, but Hidan and Deidara beat her over. Hidan had shoved people out of his way and Deidara had vaulted over the railing just to get to him first. They sandwiched him tightly. Deidara’s mascara was all messed up like he had been crying.

“Itachi!!” They shouted together directly into his ears.

“I can’t believe that fucker shot you!” 

“I can’t believe he shot you in the  _ face _ !” They squeezed him until he couldn’t breath.

“Now you’re gonna have an ugly fucking scar just like Kakuzu.” Deidara started sniffling loudly in his ear. 

“Hidan. Deidara.” Konan’s voice was quiet, but sharp. “Let go of him.” 

“Bitch.” But they did let go. Then his mother immediately wrapped him up in a tight hug and started crying against his neck. He hugged her back just as tightly.

“I’m so sorry, Itachi. So so so sorry.” Her whole body was shaking with her sobs. “I’ve been so worried, but Sasuke and Kushina told me you were okay. But then...then…” Her body started shaking more and all his guilt from the other night slammed back into him at once. “Then I got a call that you were here and you...you...you were covered in blood and bandages.” She pulled back so she could look at the bandage on his face. He tried to gently wipe the tears off her face.

“I’m so sorry, mother. I  _ am _ okay. Or mostly okay.” She laughed and it sounded watery. “I’m sorry for worrying you. But I...I  _ had _ to go.” 

“I know.” She looked at something behind him. “Or I guess I don’t know, but I think I have a better idea now. I’m sorry I made you feel like running away was your only option.”

“You didn’t.” He squeezed her tightly. “You’re a good mother.” She laughed away and pulled away.

“Thank you for lying to me.” Sasuke hugged him next. His brother looked exactly how he had a week ago, but he expected him to somehow be taller again. 

“Don’t ever get shot again.” He let go of him quickly, probably because he didn’t want to look uncool in front of all these strangers. 

“I promise I won’t.” He looked over at Kisame and wanted to move over to him, but then Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko were holding him.

“We told Kisame had to be last or else the rest of us would never get a chance with you.”

“I was so fucking worried.” Nagato clutched him the tightest. “I  _ heard _ you get shot and I didn’t do anything.”

“It’s okay.  _ I _ didn’t even notice he got me. Thanks for trusting me.”

“Course.” They pulled away and were replaced with Zetsu. He hugged him quickly, slipped something into his pocket, and then winked. 

“A sweet treat for later.” Which meant he slipped him some kind of edible. 

“I’m glad you’re alright.” Kakuzu patted him on one shoulder, and Sasori patted him on the other one.

“I am too, but try to duck next time.” He laughed and it made his cheek sting.

“I will.”

And then Kisame was finally walking over to him. He grabbed him and then held him tightly. He held back just as tightly. “How did your talk with your dad go?” He kept his voice low and spoke right into his ear.

“Exactly like I wanted it to.” He also kept his voice low and spoke into Kisame’s neck. “Thank you for telling everyone.”

“Course.” He pulled back just far enough to see his face. Without even thinking about it, he started to lean up. 

“Itachi.” He had completely forgotten about his father. He shifted just enough in Kisame’s arms to look at him. “Go home with your mother. We are going to discuss what you told us further, and then I will tell you the plan.” 

“The plan?” Kisame whispered it in his ear. 

“I’ll tell you later.” He whispered it into his neck. His father made the weird choking noise again, so he looked back at him. “Alright father.” His father looked at him suspiciously, but didn’t say anything else to him.

“Make sure he leaves with you, Mikoto.” His mother made some kind of noise, but didn’t say anything. He left with Hiruzen and Danzo without saying goodbye to any of them.

“Man your dad seems like a dick.” Hidan flipped them off as they left, and Itachi’s laugh surprised him. 

“Yeah.” 

“Itachi?” His mother’s voice sounded shaky like she might start crying again, and she was looking over at him and Kisame anxiously. “I won’t make you go back if you don’t want to.” 

“Oh.” He looked up at Kisame and then back over at his mother. “Oh! I’m sorry mother.” He shifted away from Kisame slightly. “This is my boyfriend, Kisame.” He smiled kindly at his mother and held out his hand.

“It’s nice to meet you Mrs. Uchiha, though I wish it were under better circumstances.” She took his hand cautiously.

“It’s nice to meet you as well. Sasuke and Naruto spoke very highly of you.”

“Oh did they?” Sasuke was scowling over at them. 

“Mother.” She looked anxious again as she looked over at him. “I need to talk to my friends about something, and then I can let you know. Is that okay?” 

“Yeah of course it is, Itachi. Sasuke and I can wait outside.” Sasuke’s scowl deepened.

“No, we can talk outside. I don’t think it’s a good idea to keep Hidan in here for much longer.” He saw Konan nod in agreement. “I’ll be right back.” The Akatsuki followed him out of the station.

As soon as they were outside, Hidan was yelling and shaking him. “Dude, you got shot in the fucking face! That’s so metal!” 

“What did you do to him that got that much blood on you?” Sasori sounded only mildly curious. 

“Cut off some of his fingers.” Hidan shook him harder and yelled louder. Kisame was looking at him in a certain way that he had only ever done when they were alone before. It made him wish they  _ were  _ alone.

“So fucking metal!!” 

“Itachi.” Everyone turned to look at Yahiko. “Good idea earlier. I’m glad our trust wasn’t misplaced. What did you tell your father?” 

“That you’ve all been trying to help me leave Orochimaru safely and that he’s been acting on his own. They want to use me as bait  _ again _ to get him.” Kisame frowned.

“Do you want to do that?” He shook his head.

“Not really. I want  _ us _ to get to him first, but maybe they can help with that.” Yahiko smiled at him.

“Then that’s what we’ll do. I’ll let you handle it for now. Call us if you need anything.”

“Thanks Yahiko.” Everyone said goodbye and then left him and Kisame alone. 

“So you’re planning to go back to your parents’ house?” His voice was even, and Itachi couldn’t tell what he was thinking. 

“Yes. I’m a little worried he’ll go for Sasuke now that I’ve cut off his fingers.” 

“I see.” His voice was still even, and Itachi still couldn’t tell what he was thinking. 

“But I…would you come with me?” Kisame wrapped him back up in his arms.

“Sure your parents would like that?”

“I don’t care. All I’ve wanted to do today is just be with you.” Kisame kissed the top of his head.

“Then I’ll come. I can go grab some clothes and stuff and feed the fish while you break the news to your mom. Then I can meet you there?” 

“Thank you.” He leaned up to kiss each scar on his face. “I love you, and thank you.” Kisame smiled down at him and then kissed him quickly. Then he gently kissed the bandage on his face.

“Love you too.” Itachi let him go reluctantly and then watched him leave. Then he went back into the station and found his mother. 

“Is it okay if I go back with you?” 

“Of course.” She answered quickly like she was afraid he’d change his mind if he hesitated at all.

“I asked Kisame to meet us there. Is  _ that  _ okay?” Sasuke grumbled something under his breath as his mother blinked a few times.

“Of course! Did you give him the address?” He shook his head and pulled out his phone.

“I’ll send it now.” He quickly texted Kisame the address to his parents’ house.

“Great! Let’s…let’s go home.” Her eyes were watery, but Itachi’s were too. 


	18. Chapter 18

His mother talked enough for all of them on the drive. She told Itachi about everything Sasuke had done over the last two years and everything his father had done and some of what she had. She told him about all of his aunts and uncles and cousins. His heart twisted painfully when she mentioned Shisui graduating college. “I should let him know I’m okay or something.” He saw his mother’s hand tighten on the steering wheel.

“Yes. He’s been worried about you.” He thought about the last time he talked to Shisui and felt guilty.

“I already texted him.” Sasuke sounded bored. 

“Oh, thank you.”

She continued telling him updates on people she thought he should know as if he hadn’t interrupted. He was only half paying attention. 

He felt weird looking at his parents’ house when they pulled into the driveway. He wasn’t sure when he had stopped thinking of it as his own home, but he had at some point. Now it felt weird being back and looking at it. It felt even weirder walking through the front door. Everything looked the same as he remembered, right down to his keys sitting in the bowl by the door where he had left them. 

“Welcome home, Itachi.” Her voice sounded thick with tears, but she hadn’t started crying again. 

“I’m sorry it took me so long to come back.” She shook her head at him.

“All that matters is that you’re here now.” She looked him over for a long moment. Her eyes lingered on his long hair, bloodstained shirt, and painted nails. He wondered what she saw when she looked at him altogether like this. “Do you want to take a shower, Itachi?” 

“Not yet. Kisame’s bringing over some of my clothes.” 

“Oh of course!” She looked flustered. “How about food? Are you hungry?” 

“Food would be nice, thank you.” 

“I’ll go see what we have.” She looked less flustered with a purpose. She left for the kitchen and left him alone with Sasuke. He was looking interestedly at the bandage on his face.

“Did it hurt?” 

“No, I didn’t even notice at first.” His look turned to awe, and it reminded Itachi of when they were younger and Sasuke used to watch him practice archery. 

“Can I see it?” 

“I can show you after I take the bandage off later.” 

“Cool.” He smiled at Sasuke, and Sasuke smiled back tentatively.

“I’m just going to order pizza if that’s okay.” His mother was back, and she looked flustered again. Her eyes also looked red like she had cried quickly in the kitchen.

“Of course. Thank you.” She smiled tentatively at him too. 

The three of them sat together quietly in the living room after she ordered. It was clear they didn’t really know what to say and no one wanted to be the first person to break the silence. They all sighed in relief when the doorbell rang. Itachi wanted to go answer it, but his mother sent Sasuke. He assumed she was afraid of sending him out there covered in blood if it was someone other than Kisame. 

It  _ was  _ someone other than Kisame. Sasuke led a pale, panicked Shisui into the living room who exclaimed as he saw Itachi. “Itachi! Sasuke said you had been shot in the head!” He rushed over and grabbed Itachi’s head in his hands. He looked him over closely.

“I’m okay Shisui. It just grazed me.” 

“You stupid, reckless, idiot.” And then he was hugging Itachi tightly. “I’m glad you’re not dead.”

“I am too.” Shisui laughed and it sounded a bit hysterical. He stopped hugging him just to grab his head again.

“You need to tell me everything.” Itachi wanted to, but he couldn’t with his mother and Sasuke in the room. 

“And I will.” He hoped Shisui heard the implied ‘later’. The doorbell rang again and this time his mother went to answer it. 

She came back with Kisame who had a bag and an amused expression as he looked at Itachi whose head was still in Shisui’s hands. Sasuke looked over at him and scowled. Shisui looked over at him curiously. “This is my boyfriend, Kisame. And this is my cousin, Shisui.” He could see Shisui remember that phone call and he could see the moment he put it altogether. 

“Oh.” Shisui let go of Itachi’s face and then just looked at the space between them. “I see.”

“Nice to meet you.” Kisame smiled in that way that showed off his pointed teeth. Both Shisui and his mother looked alarmed. Itachi stood up, walked over, and took the bag from him. 

“Do you mind if I take a shower?” His question was really only for Kisame as it meant he’d be leaving him alone in a room of strangers. He kissed the top of his head.

“I’ll be fine. Make sure you get all the blood out of your hair.” 

“Okay. I’ll be right back.” His mother looked worried as he left, but didn’t try to stop or follow him. 

Walking upstairs felt weird and so did entering his old room. It looked exactly how he left it and it made him feel like he was a ghost. He quickly walked to the bathroom and noticed that was the same too, right down to the towels. He turned on the water, got undressed, and climbed in quickly. He washed his hair until the water ran clear and scrubbed at his skin till he felt raw. Then he peeled the wet bandage off his face and scrubbed that too. His cheek hurt as he cleaned it. 

When he got out of the shower, he dried himself roughly with a towel until his skin felt raw again. Then he looked at himself in the mirror. His face was all red and the wound on his cheek looked angry. It was just starting to scab over and was mostly full of pus. He prodded at it and it hurt. Then it started to bleed a little again. He pressed a tissue against his face and looked through the bag Kisame brought. He pulled on the comfiest clothes he could find and then went back downstairs. 

The pizza must’ve came when he was in the shower because everyone had moved into the dinning room. They all looked at him as he walked in. He walked over to Sasuke so he could show him his face. Shisui scrambled over to look too. “Woah.” Sasuke immediately took a picture. “This is so gross. I  _ have _ to show Naruto.”

“It  _ is _ gross.” Shisui looked a little nauseous, so he backed away from him.

“I already gave Kisame the first aid kit.” His mother also looked a little nauseous. He walked over to Kisame and sat still as he bandaged it back up. It hurt more this time, but he guessed he had been full of adrenaline earlier. Kisame kissed the bandage quickly when he finished.

“Thank you.” He then slid Itachi a plate full of pizza. He ate slowly and kept looking at everyone else at the table. 

“Kisame was just telling us about how you guys met.” His mother’s voice sounded politely pleasant. He looked at Kisame and the other man was blushing.

“Oh? Keep going. I love hearing you tell this story.” Kisame knocked their knees together with a lot of force. 

“Just saying how we met at that bar you used to work at.” 

“Oh he was saying it was love at first sight.” Kisame’s blush darkened, and he could see Sasuke pretending to gag out of the corner of his eye. 

“It was.” 

“Gross.” 

“Sasuke, don’t be rude.” His mother looked at them kindly. “I’m glad you weren’t alone, Itachi.”

“I am too.” Kisame knocked their knees together again, but more gently this time. “Kisame’s helped me with a lot.” 

“Then I’m glad you met him.” Kisame’s whole face was red by now, so Itachi took pity on him. 

“What have you been doing since you graduated, Shisui?” He looked surprised at the question, but answered it without hesitating. He took Itachi’s cue and took over the conversation as they finished eating. 

His father returned home just as they finished cleaning up. “Itachi--” He walked into the kitchen and then stopped. He looked at Kisame and then at Itachi. “Why is he here?” 

“I think we need to talk in the other room, Fugaku.” He didn’t even look over at her.

“Not now Mikoto.”

“Yes now.” She grabbed his arm and drug him out of the room without saying anything else. They waited a second and then all crowded around the doorway to listen. 

"Itachi _ just _ came home, and I will not let you run him right back out that door." His mother sounded angry and she wasn’t even trying to whisper.

“He’s not going anywhere Mikoto.”

“He might if you’re going to be treating his boyfriend like that.” His father made that weird choking noise. 

“Our son does  _ not _ have a boyfriend. He’s home now and things are going to go back to the way they were.” Itachi felt a hot surge of anger and took a step forward so he could go and yell at his father himself. But Kisame grabbed his arm and held him back.

“Let your mom handle this one, babe.” He did, and she exploded.

“Yes he does! And I understand everything now. You  _ knew _ . You knew about Itachi and you chased him away. You made my baby feel like he couldn’t be himself here.”

“Mikoto--”

“Oh don’t you  _ dare _ Mikoto me right now. Itachi’s not the kid we thought we knew, but we are going to get to know him. And you are going to treat his partner with respect. Do you understand me?” He had never heard his mother talk like that before and a part of him was in awe that she was doing this for him. 

“Mikoto--” His father sounded angry.

“I said,  _ do you understand me _ ?” Sasuke winced at her tone. 

“....yes.” 

“Good. Now go greet your sons properly.” They quickly moved away from the doorway and tried to act like they weren’t eavesdropping. His father looked awkward when his parents entered the kitchen again.

“Hello Itachi, Sasuke, Shisui…” He looked over at Kisame and trailed off awkwardly. His mother glared at him, but Kisame just grinned widely.

“Hello Mr. Uchiha. Nice place you got here.” His father made a strange face.

“Thank you.” His response was stiff and it made Kisame’s grin grow wider. “Itachi, we need to finish our discussion from earlier.”

“I don’t think so.” His mother stepped in between them. “Itachi’s had a long enough day already, so I think whatever you wanted to talk about can wait until tomorrow.” His father looked like he wanted to argue, but stayed silent. 

“Thank you mother.” He thought about the edible Zetsu had slipped him earlier and decided he had had enough of his parents for the day. “I’m actually pretty tired already. Is it alright if we use the guest bedroom tonight?” His mother’s eyes softened as she looked at him. 

“Of course Itachi. Is there anything I can get you?” He shook his head. 

“What’s wrong with your room?” His father was looking at him suspiciously.

“The bed isn’t big enough for both of us.” His father made that choking noise, and Shisui’s jaw dropped. He saw Kisame trying not to laugh out of the corner of his eye. 

“Wait just a minute--”

“Then it’s a good thing the guest room has a larger bed. We’ll be right down here if you need us, okay?” 

“Thanks mother. Goodnight.” He grabbed Kisame’s hand and pulled him out of the kitchen before his father could say anything else. He led him upstairs and into his old room because he left the bag in there. Kisame looked around and frowned.

“Your room was so boring. Did you ever do anything for fun?”

“Not really.” He grabbed the bag and led him to the guest room, which was just as boring. “I would practice, study, and watch Sasuke.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t run away sooner.” He shrugged as he searched his dirty clothes for the edible.

“I had thought about it.” He found a seal-wrapped cookie and then tossed it over to Kisame. “Zetsu gave me a treat earlier.” The other man looked at it and then grinned at him. 

“You wanna eat this now?” 

“Yes. I’ve had a very long and hard day and think I deserve to relax a little.” Kisame’s grin got wider.

“Your dad would freak if he knew what you were doing up here.” He shrugged again.

“I don’t care.” Kisame opened the wrapping, bit off a piece of the cookie, and then handed it back to him. Itachi had learned his lesson on how much of an edible he could actually handle, so bit off a much smaller piece. He then wrapped it back up and flopped onto the bed. “Thank you for being here with me.” Kisame followed him onto the bed and then pulled him in close.

“Of course, Itachi.” He buried his face in Kisame’s chest and for a moment he could almost pretend like they were back at the apartment. But then someone knocked on the door. 

“Itachi?”

“Come in Shisui.” His voice was muffled as he kept his face pressed against Kisame. He heard the door open and then close again. 

“Oh! I can come back later?” He shifted just enough so he could look at Shisui.

“No, it’s fine. Do you want a piece of this?” He pointed at the wrapped cookie on the nightstand. Shisui looked at it suspiciously. 

“What is it?”

“A cookie.” He unwrapped it, smelled it, and then looked at him incredulously.

“Is there weed in this?”

“Yup.” He still looked incredulous, but he did take a piece. Then he looked at Itachi, looked at Kisame, and then looked back at Itachi.

“Maybe we should talk later.” 

“We can talk. Kisame already knows everything.” Kisame’s arm tightened around him and he relaxed further into his hold.

“What do you mean by everything?” 

“I mean everything. I told him about the whole thing.”

“Oh.” He sat down on the edge of the bed. “So you’re really part of the Aka--”

“Yes. And I chose them.”

“And you’re happy?”  Shisui looked like the answer was going to be the most important thing he had ever heard.

“Yes.” 

“Then no one will hear anything about anything from me.” He smiled at Shisui, and Shisui smiled back. “So who shot you?” Kisame’s arm tightened again.

“Orochimaru.” Shisui made some weird noise.

“So you did actually find him.” 

“Yeah. It turns out someone on the force had given me up to him.” 

“What?” Kisame’s voice was low, dangerous, and panicked. He looked up at him.

“Sorry Kisame. I was planning to tell you when I had finally gotten you alone for more than a minute. Orochimaru told me earlier when he tried to drug me. Apparently he knew everything the whole time.”

“Did he say who it was on the force?” He still sounded dangerous, and it made Itachi’s stomach feel weightless.

“No, but I have a good feeling it’s Danzo Shimura.” 

“Are you going to tell your dad?” Shisui looked and sounded concerned. Itachi shook his head.

“No. I want to handle it personally.” Kisame looked at him and grinned in that specific way that spelled danger. Itachi shifted even closer to him.

“Itachi….are you sure that’ a good idea?” 

“Yes and that’s all I’ll tell you about it Shisui. Sorry for getting you involved at all.” Shisui shook his head vigorously.

“No, I  _ want _ to be involved. You’re my best friend Itachi, and I just want you to be okay and safe. So I won’t ask any more questions, but I’m here if you need me for anything.” 

“Thank you Shisui.” He pretended to yawn widely. “I actually am really tired. I’m glad you came today, but I think I need to sleep.” Shisui sprung off the bed.

“Of course! I’m glad you’re okay Itachi, and it’s nice to meet you Kisame. See you soon?”

“Yeah Shisui, see you soon.” They smiled at each other and then Shisui left the room. 

“That was the fakest yawn I’ve ever seen.” He laughed and shifted so he could see Kisame’s face better.

“Yeah, but it worked anyway. I just wanted to be alone with you.”

“Oh?” Kisame rolled onto his back and pulled Itachi on top of him. “What do you wanna do now that you've got me all alone?” 

“This.” He kissed him in the way he had wanted to all day. It was rough and sloppy, but it made him feel alive and safe. He cut his lip on Kisame’s teeth on purpose and slid his hands under the other man’s shirt. Kisame kissed him back hard like he was also trying to remind himself that Itachi was safe and alive. It made him press closer. “Kisame.” Itachi spoke with his lips still pressing against Kisame’s. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Itachi.” He could feel each breath Kisame took in his own chest. He could feel each heartbeat too right next to his own. It felt like he was holding both of their hearts in his chest.

“I think we’ve melted together.” Kisame looked into his eyes.

“Have we? I think maybe your edible’s kicked in.” Itachi tried to feel his own body.

“You might be right.” Kisame laughed and it felt it in his bones. He shifted Itachi so he was under the blankets and then got off the bed. He changed into sweatpants and then turned off the light. Itachi felt weirdly numb as he watched Kisame move around. He felt half empty until Kisame slid under the blankets with him. He immediately laid back on top of him. 

“You aren’t afraid we’ll melt together?” 

“I want us to melt together. Is that okay?” Kisame held him tightly.

“Yeah that’s okay.” 


	19. Chapter 19

Itachi didn’t know where he was when he woke up. He could feel Kisame’s arm around him, but they weren’t at the apartment. His face hurt like one of the snakes had bitten him badly and his body was sore. He looked around the room and it took him a few minutes to recognize it as the guest room at his parents’ house. It took him a few more minutes to remember that the pain in his face was from a bullet wound. 

“Morning babe.” Kisame still sounded mostly asleep. “You okay?” 

“Yeah. I just...I hate being here.” He pressed his face into Kisame’s neck. 

“How long are you planning on staying?” 

“I’m not sure. I want to see what my father’s plan is before deciding anything. I just want to make sure he can keep Sasuke safe.” Kisame made a thoughtful noise and he could feel it against his cheek.

“I want to make sure he can keep  _ you _ safe.” 

“I can keep myself safe.” He could feel Kisame getting ready to argue. “ _ And _ I have you. I won’t let him get as close as he did yesterday.” 

“It won’t be up to you though. I just…” Kisame held him tightly. “What if he  _ had _ taken you away yesterday? Or what if the bullet hadn’t just grazed you? You could’ve died.” Itachi shifted just enough so they could look each other in the eye.

“I know, but I didn’t. And we need to take care of him so something like yesterday won’t happen again. I promise I’ll do everything I can to keep myself safe.” Kisame brought his hands to his face and held him gently. 

“I don’t want to lose you.” He put his hands over Kisame’s.

“I don’t want to lose you either. I won’t let him put me in any unnecessary danger and I won’t go looking for any myself. I promise, baby.” Kisame kissed him hard. 

“Using pet names is cheating.”

“I know.” Itachi kissed him again and then pulled away to climb out of bed. 

They used the bathroom in the hallway and brushed their teeth. Kisame combed out some of the knots in his hair and his fingers only got stuck once. Itachi had started to peel the bandage off to look at the wound in the mirror, but Kisame wouldn’t let him. It felt itchy, but he left it alone and led Kisame downstairs. 

His mother was sitting in the kitchen. She looked like she had also just woken up. “Oh! Good morning Itachi, Kisame.” 

“Good morning mother. Do you mind if I make some coffee?” 

“Sure.” She sounded distracted and wasn’t even looking at him anymore. He followed her gaze to Kisame. At first he couldn’t tell why she was staring at him so intently, but then he realized the other man was shirtless.

“Oh.” Kisame looked over at him and then down at himself. He blushed quickly.

“Ah I’m sorry about that Mrs. Uchiha. I didn’t even notice. I’ll be right back.” She startled at his voice and then blushed herself.

“Oh no, it’s okay! It’s not like I’m not used to it. I can hardly get Sasuke to wear a shirt around the house. I’m sorry I was staring. I was just looking at your tattoos.” 

Itachi started to make coffee and got annoyed in a way that made him feel like he was a kid again. His parents had always treated him differently than Sasuke and it usually didn’t bother him. But sometimes he’d hear small things like ‘I promised Sasuke he could see his friends today’ or ‘Sasuke’s already too busy for another lesson’ and he’d feel a sharp pinch of annoyance. He was feeling it now and he felt bad for feeling it. It was stupid and he didn’t even live there anymore, but he still felt it. He closed the lid of the coffee pot with more force than necessary and hoped his mother couldn’t tell. Kisame could though by the look he was giving him. Itachi pretended not to see it as he grabbed some mugs.

“Are you guys hungry?” His mother looked at him like she hoped he’d say yes. 

“A little, if it’s not too much trouble.” She jumped right up. 

“Not at all! Do you like eggs, Kisame?”

“Eggs are great. Do you need any help?” She shook her head and waved him over to the chairs.

“No, please have a seat.” Kisame took a seat and looked over at Itachi. He busied himself with pouring the coffee into three mugs and trying to get the right amount of cream in each. His mother smiled brightly at him when he handed her the mug. Kisame also smiled when he got his mug, and then he pulled Itachi until he was mostly sitting on his lap.

“What’s wrong?” He whispered it right into his ear, and the feeling of his breath on his neck sent a shiver down Itachi’s spine.

“Nothing. Just the same thing as this morning.” Kisame made a noise and then kissed him just under his ear in the spot that always made him relax. He made himself more comfortable on his lap. Then he heard a click. They both turned to look at the noise, and it was mother holding up her phone. She looked embarrassed at being caught.

“I’m sorry. You both looked very cute.”

“That’s okay. We don’t mind.” He could feel Kisame’s grin against his neck. She smiled at them and her eyes looked a little watery, but she went back to cooking without saying anything else. Itachi relaxed further into Kisame’s arms and drank his coffee. 

His mother made enough eggs for all of them and Sasuke when he eventually came down. He wasn’t wearing a shirt and he was scowling at all of them, but Itachi felt like that had less to do with them and more to do with the morning. After he had eaten a bit, Sasuke started to ask Kisame questions about his tattoos. Itachi hid his smile behind his mug as he was afraid Sasuke would become moody again if he saw it. 

The front door opened at some point and then his father was in the kitchen with them. He looked shocked when his eyes landed on Itachi and Kisame. He wasn’t sure if it was because of how they were sitting or the tattoos or both. He bit the inside of his cheek so he wouldn’t laugh. “What--” His mother shot his father a stern look. He frowned, but then took a deep breath and tried to smile. “Itachi. I’d like to talk to you in the other room.” She shot him another look. “If that’s alright with you.” 

“Of course, father.” He kissed Kisame’s cheek quickly and then slid off of his lap. He followed his father into the other room. 

“Itachi, we still need your help to finish this. You understand that, right?” 

“I do. What will you do to keep Sasuke safe?” His father looked confused at the question.

"Sasuke will be perfectly safe. You don't need to worry about him."

"But I am worried. What will you do?" His father's confusion gave way to irritation. 

"I understand that we had you out there on your own and you had to make some tough choices. I also understand that you've made some wrong choices. But you're back now, which means all you need to do is listen to me. Everything will be fine as long as you do what I tell you. Understand?" He grit his teeth until it hurt.

"Perfectly." 

"Good. Now we think Orochimaru will approach you again as long as you keep acting like normal. So going to work and going to the store--things like that. We're going to keep an undercover watching you at all times who will call for back-up and jump in when he sees Orochimaru. You'll just need to keep Orochimaru in the same spot until help arrives. Got it?" 

"Got it." And Itachi did get it. They were hoping he'd be enough alone to lure Orochimaru out into the open. But they were wrong. They didn't know Orochimaru like he did, and they also didn't understand how well Orochimaru knew  _ him _ . He wasn't going to try the same trick twice, especially after it went so badly for him the last time. He was going to be more prepared. Itachi had hoped the police could be of some help finding Orochimaru, but they were just going to get in his way.

"You'll stay here again now that you don't have to stay with Orochimaru."

"I don't think that's a good idea. Orochimaru will get suspicious if I suddenly move back here after everything I've told him. He probably wouldn't approach me. I can stay with Kisame." His father made that choking noise that was now familiar, but he must've known Itachi was right because he didn't say anything. Instead he just nodded at Itachi before leaving the room. Itachi waited a moment before leaving too and going back into the kitchen.

He shook his head once at Kisame when they locked eyes. He'd tell him everything when they were alone, but that was enough for him to know now that his father's plan was terrible. Kisame frowned, but kept quiet about it. Instead he started telling his mother all about his fish tank and let Itachi think of a better plan. 

Itachi told Kisame everything his father told him when they were finally back upstairs. He kept quiet until Itachi finished and then asked, “So what’s  _ your _ plan?”

“Well Orochimaru’s not going to try the same thing again, and I won’t put myself in unnecessary danger by wandering around alone looking for him. I think our best bet’s goading him into approaching you. And then we can corner him.” Kisame stopped pulling his shirt on and looked at him in confusion. 

“Approaching  _ me _ ? I don’t think he’s ever talked to me willingly.”

“Which is where the goading comes in. He knows that I’ll be more cautious now and that you’ll be keeping a closer eye on me. He also knows what my father asked me to do and believes that  _ you _ don’t know. He’d approach you with that information hoping you’d give me up.” Kisame made a thoughtful noise and finished pulling his shirt on.

“Do you really think he’d use  _ me _ for that though? He could go to Yahiko or someone else with that too.” 

“He could, but he wouldn’t. Right now he probably wants to punish me for what I did to him. Having Yahiko or Sasori give me up wouldn’t hurt the same way as if you were the one to do it. Having you give me back to him would wreck me.” Itachi pictured it perfectly without really meaning to. He pictured the exact look of hurt and betrayal Kisame’s face would have, and his voice broke as he spoke. “That’s why he’d choose you.”

“Oh Itachi.” Kisame grabbed him and held him tightly. “I would never do that, even if you hadn’t already told me the truth.”

“I know. It’s just….” He pictured it again. “I wouldn’t have blamed you if you did. Not after I had lied to you and used you just like the Mist did.” Kisame held them tighter. 

“Itachi you’re not like them at all. I know exactly who I am when you look at me. You’re stuck with me, remember?” He pressed even closer to Kisame, like he could actually melt into the other man. 

“I remember.” 

“Good. And that plan sounds workable. I can let Yahiko and the others know so they’re ready.” 

“Thank you.” 

“What about Sasuke? Are you planning to stay here to watch him?” 

“No. I think it’s more believable if I stay with you….and I  _ want _ to stay with you. I just have to trust my father to keep him safe.” The problem was that Itachi didn’t trust his father, but he already had enough to worry about. 

“Nagato can keep an eye on him. And…” Kisame sounded nervous. “Well we could...Sasuke’s a smart kid. If we told him enough about Orochimaru, he could keep an eye out too.”

“Is Orochimaru the guy who shot you?” They both jumped a little at Sasuke’s voice. Itachi was both embarrassed and impressed that his brother had managed to sneak up on them.

“Yes.”

“Does he want to kill you or something?” He tried to sound uninterested, but Itachi could hear the undercurrent of fear in his voice. He pulled away from Kisame so he could walk over to Sasuke.

“No, but he does want to hurt me and he is dangerous. I’m going to show you what he looks like and if you ever see him you need to run and hide. Do you understand?” Sasuke nodded quickly. Itachi pulled out his phone and showed him a few different pictures of Orochimaru. He also showed him pictures of Kabuto and a bunch of Orochimaru’s other men just in case. “Hide first and then text father or me, okay?” Sasuke nodded again.

“Okay. Does this mean you’re coming back home? You know, until they catch him?” Itachi’s heart twisted painfully at the glimmer of hope in Sasuke’s eyes. He tapped his brother on his forehead with two fingers. 

“I’m sorry Sasuke, but I’m not coming back home. I can come visit more, if that’s okay?” Sasuke huffed and crossed his arms tightly against his chest.

“Yeah as long as you don’t bring Kisame with you every time.” Kisame laughed loudly.

“Okay.” 

“Bye Itachi.” Sasuke hugged him quickly and then ran out of the room. 

“It feels like he just kicked us out.”

“I think he did. He’s so much ruder than I remember.” Kisame laughed again as he finished shoving their things back in his bag. Itachi quickly made the bed as best he could and then they went looking for his mother to say goodbye.

She was still sitting in the kitchen with a fresh mug of coffee. She didn’t look surprised to see them with their bag. “I knew you weren’t going to move back in or anything, but somehow I’m still surprised you’re leaving already.” She didn’t really sound sad, but Itachi’s heart still twisted painfully. 

“Sorry mother. I promise I’ll visit more.” 

“That’d be good. I know this probably hasn’t felt like your home for a long time, but you can always come back here for anything. You too, Kisame.”

“Thanks Mrs. Uchiha.” She stood up and hugged Itachi tightly. He couldn’t even remember the last time she had hugged him before he left and had to swallow down the lump in his throat before he could hug her back. 

“I love you, Itachi. Please don’t disappear again. And please please please don’t get shot again.” He laughed as he pulled away from her.

“I won’t. Love you too.” 

She stood in the doorway and waved at them until she was completely out of sight. 


	20. Chapter 20

Itachi’s life went back to relatively normal after the night with his parents. He went back to work with Kakuzu, stayed with Kisame, and saw his friends often. But now that he had an undercover tail he wasn’t allowed to visit most of their businesses or go to any group meetings. They also had to constantly remind Hidan to act more inconspicuously as he kept coming and going throughout the day, which was more trouble than it was worth.

He had the same three men following him in a cycle. They were young, inexperienced, and a bit incompetent. He was always able to find them quickly. They weren’t going to be any help at all with Orochimaru, and it made Itachi frustrated that he was stuck with them. The rest of the Akatsuki found it funny, but they weren’t the ones who had to pretend like they couldn’t see them all day. 

His own plan was going well, mostly because they didn’t really have to do anything differently for it yet. He already spent most of his time with Kisame, so, after he noticed  _ other _ people following him again, they spent even more time together. Kisame started walking him to and from work most days. He spent even more time at the garage. And he would open all of the windows in the apartment before they had sex and would make himself as loud as possible. Kisame had been unsure about that bit until Itachi told him that he would’ve done it with or without the plan. Then Kisame enthusiastically helped him get even louder. 

Orochimaru texted Kisame a week and a half after Itachi started opening all the windows. He felt a little smug with how well he was able to predict the older man. The text said: ‘Itachi’s not who you think he is and not as free of his father’s influence as he wants you to believe. Meet me at the Naka River shipping yard Sunday at 1 if you’re curious as to who you’re really sharing a bed with’. Kisame laughed after he read it.

“Does he really talk like this all the time?” 

“Yes. He thinks it makes him sound smart.” Kisame laughed again. 

“So what should we say back to him?” 

"Hm it's best to keep it simple but it also has to sound realistic. How about 'why should I trust you'?" Kisame hummed thoughtfully. 

"That works." He sent it and got a reply almost immediately. 

The reply said: 'I'm not asking you to. But I am asking you to notice that I had trusted Itachi and lost three fingers for it. You don't have to believe what I tell you, but I think you should at least hear it. I’m not even asking you to come alone'. Kisame hummed thoughtfully again. 

“Not bad.” 

“I agree. The last line was a nice touch.” Kisame looked at him expectantly. “Maybe ‘I’ll hear you out, but don’t expect much else’?” 

“Hmm, I can work with that.” Kisame typed something back and then slid his phone in his pocket. “I’ll let everyone know at tonight’s meeting and then we can make a plan.” 

“Oh.” Itachi had almost forgotten that he couldn’t go to the meeting. He started to pout without even thinking about it. Kisame laughed softly and then pulled him into a quick kiss.

“You can meet up with us at Saiken afterwards. We’ll tell you what we can there, and then I’ll tell you the rest later. Okay?” 

“Okay. It just feels like I  _ should _ be there with everyone for this.” 

“I know. But now it’s your turn to trust us.”

“I do trust you.” Kisame smiled at him in that way that still made his stomach feel weightless.

Itachi was the first one at the diner later that night. He hated just sitting around and waiting, but waiting at the diner wasn’t any better. The undercover currently following him also followed him into the diner and just stared at him. And not even discreetly. He sighed in relief when he saw the Akatsuki start to creep in.

It wasn’t until after their food came that they finally started talking about their plan. “Itachi. Kisame, Konan, Hidan, and I were thinking of going hunting sometime soon. Would you be interested in joining us?” 

“I would. It’s been a long time since I’ve done anything like that.”

“Know how to use a rifle?” 

“Yes. My father always made sure I was prepared for anything.” 

“We don’t hunt to kill. Think you can handle that?” He knew Kakuzu wanted to find the missing money, so he understood why they wanted Orochimaru alive. Or at least alive at first.

“Yes. I’ll just follow your lead.” Yahiko smiled at him.

“Good. Kisame can give you the details once the season starts.” 

They didn’t mention anything else about it altogether. Instead they spent the rest of the time at the diner talking about Nagato’s newest video game and making fun of the undercover sitting a table away. At some point Hidan and Deidara had started throwing sugar packets at him and the only other customers--a table of drunk college kids--joined in. 

Kisame waited until they were back at the apartment before telling him about the meeting. He told him everything he had guessed from the conversation earlier--that Yahiko, Konan, and Hidan would be going and that they needed to take Orochimaru alive. The plan was for Kisame to go in seemingly alone while the others worked their way in. They’d be killing anyone else they found, so Orochimaru wouldn’t have any help if he tried to run. Itachi would also be going, but would have to remain even more discreet than the others. He promised Kisame that he’d remain out of sight and as safe as possible. Then Kisame handed him a gun.

“Do you know how to use this?” It was a standard pistol.

“Yes. Father would take me to the shooting range often. I have better accuracy than most men on the force.” He looked the gun over and tried to get used to the feel of it in his hand. He held it up as if he were about to shoot. Kisame was on the other side of the gun and had a familiar glint in his eye as he watched him. 

“Is it weird if I think you look really hot right now?” Itachi’s laugh surprised him. 

“No.” Kisame stepped closer and leaned down to kiss him with the gun still between them. He kissed Itachi slowly at first and then as if he were trying to devour him. Itachi pulled away when the only thing he could hear was his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. Then he put the gun down and started opening all the windows. Kisame hugged him from behind as he got to the last one.

“We don’t have to do that anymore.” He opened it and then turned around to look at him.

“I want to. I want everyone to know _ exactly  _ how you make me feel.” Kisame grinned down at him in that way that looked dangerous and made heat pool in his gut. He leaned up until they were kissing again. Then he walked them back until he could push Kisame down onto the bed. He straddled his hips and looked down at him. “What do you want to do tonight?” 

“Whatever you wa--” Itachi covered his mouth with his hand. 

“What do  _ you _ want, Kisame?” He pulled back his hand. 

“This is all I want.” He put his hands on Itachi’s hips and pulled him down further. “Just being here with you, like this.” Itachi’s heart skipped a beat.

“That’s cheating.” Kisame smiled up at him.

“I know.” 

And then they were kissing. They were unhurried as they kissed and as they pulled off each other’s clothes. They were unhurried as Kisame stretched him. They were unhurried as Itachi shifted onto his hands and knees with Kisame just behind him. 

"We can stop anytime you want." He pressed back against him.

"Right now I want you." Kisame kissed the back of his neck and then slid into him slowly. Itachi gasped and grew louder with every inch he could feel inside himself. Kisame still made him feel so full, especially when they were pressed together so closely like this. He kept his thrusts slow, but pulled out almost completely each time just to push back in even deeper. Itachi matched his pace and was so loud that he knew the neighbors could hear him. But he loved the way Kisame would groan and thrust a little harder at it. He also loved the way the other man's grip would tighten on hips when he called out his name. 

Itachi felt boneless as he came and even more boneless when he felt Kisame finish. He laid down as soon as Kisame pulled out and was pliable as the other man cleaned up. He fell asleep as soon as Kisame was back in bed with him. 


	21. Chapter 21

Sunday came quickly. He went to work like normal and felt his anticipation grow throughout the day. Hidan also looked like he could feel the mounting tension. He grew more and more excited each time Itachi saw him, like a dog pulling at his leash. He patted Itachi hard on the back when he finally left for the day and told him he ‘better not pussy out later’.

Kisame was already at the apartment when he got back. He was on the floor checking a few different guns, including the one he had handed Itachi the other day. He was focused and thorough, and Itachi liked watching him. When he was finished, he looked up at Itachi with a serious expression. “You don’t have to come tonight if you don’t want to.”

“I want to.” Kisame looked him over for a long moment.

“Alright, but remember you promised you wouldn’t take any unnecessary risks.”

“I remember.” Kisame stood up and handed him the pistol. 

“Bring your switchblade too. You shouldn’t use the gun unless absolutely necessary.” Itachi tucked the gun into the back of his jeans.

“Got it.” Kisame looked at him for another long moment. 

“You’re sure you want to come?” Itachi took a step closer and leaned up just enough to hold Kisame’s face in his hands.

“Yes. It’ll be fine Kisame. I promise I’ll let Hidan be the one to put himself in danger.” Kisame laughed, and he liked the way it felt under his hands.

“Good. Now go get some rest. I’ll wake you up when we have to go.” Kisame gently took his hands off his face and pushed him towards the bedroom. Itachi listened to him even though he didn’t want to. He laid in bed for a long time and then fell asleep without even meaning to.

Kisame woke him up at 11:30 and made sure he had everything he needed. They looked out the window together to check on the current undercover cop, and he was embarrassed to find him sleeping in his car. It at least made leaving the building easier on them. They went up to the roof and then climbed down the fire escape just to be safe. 

They met up with Hidan, Yahiko, and Konan a few blocks away from the shipping yard. Hidan looked excited while Yahiko and Konan looked almost like they were bored. Kisame left them there to go ahead first. Itachi felt restless as he waited for Yahiko to give them the signal to follow. When the signal did come, he moved to his position quickly.

The shipping yard was eerie in the dark. The river looked ominous and the ships would make a noise like a groan every so often. He kept to the shadows and moved on the balls on his feet. His switchblade was already in his hand. After a while he saw Jirōbō and felt a vicious satisfaction when he noticed that his nose looked broken. He approached the other man from behind slowly and quietly. When he was close enough, he covered the other man’s mouth and then slit his throat quickly. He kept his hand over Jirōbō’s mouth until his pulse stopped, then he carefully lowered him to the ground. He thought he’d feel a certain type of way after killing someone for the first time, but he didn’t feel different at all. He just moved back into the shadows and kept moving towards the center of the area.

He had just finished killing Rinji when he felt someone press a gun against the back of his head. He looked down at their feet and noticed whoever it was had taken their shoes off in order to get behind him undetected. “Orochimaru knew you’d come.” He groaned when he recognized Kabuto’s voice.

“Of course he did. Are you going to shoot me?” Kabuto pressed the gun harder against his head.

“I’d love to, but Orochimaru’s expecting you.” He pulled the knife out of Itachi’s hand and then used the gun to lead him into the center of the shipping yard. Orochimaru looked excited when he saw them, and Kisame looked panicked.

“Ah Itachi. I knew you’d follow Kisame here.” Kabuto pushed him right between the other two men.

“You know me so well.” Itachi looked down at the older man’s hand and smiled at the heavy bandages wrapped around it. “How’s your hand?” Orochimaru scowled. 

“I thought you said you just wanted to talk? What’s going on, Orochimaru?” Kisame sounded angry, and his eyes were focused on the gun still pressed against Itachi’s head.

“I do just want to talk, but I had a feeling Itachi would try and crash the party. I’m sure he wanted to prevent any of his secrets from getting out. Right Itachi?” Itachi kept silent as he thought Orochimaru would take that as confirmation. Based on his smile he did. “Lower your gun Kabuto.” Kabuto lowered it reluctantly. 

“Just tell me whatever it is you brought me here for.” 

“Of course. Itachi’s not who you think he is. He’s a police plant intended to bring the Akatsuki down. Didn’t you think it was suspicious that as soon as he joined he found a problem with my business? Or that he had been all over me until he met you? Weren’t you suspicious that someone like him was attracted to the Monster of the Mist?” Itachi had to bite the inside of his cheek hard to keep himself from saying anything. 

“Is that all you have?” Orochimaru smiled a bit wider like he was about to reveal his winning hand.

“I know you must’ve noticed the men that have been following him lately. The ones that stay parked outside of your apartment in the same unmarked car all night. You also must’ve known that he talked to his father the same day he cut my fingers off. Unless….” Orochimaru’s smile grew even wider. “...he forgot to mention that to you.” 

“I’ve noticed them.” Itachi couldn’t read Kisame’s face. Orochimaru was still smiling as he looked at him.

“Well Itachi, do you have a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of this?” He still couldn’t read Kisame’s face.

“I…” He  _ knew _ that Kisame already knew the truth. And Kisame already promised that he wouldn’t give him up. But Itachi still felt panicked and nauseous. This was exactly like how he had pictured it. “I…” His voice was shaky and it made something light up in Orochimaru’s eyes.

“Oh don’t tell me you actually have feelings for him?” He laughed cruelly at Itachi. “What were you planning to do? Beg your father to let him go? Visit him in prison?” He laughed again and then turned back to Kisame. “He’s been playing us both for fools. Can’t you see it?” 

“Itachi.” Kisame walked over to him, and Orochimaru didn’t stop him. He grabbed Itachi’s chin roughly and looked as apologetic as he could with their audience. “I need you to be honest with me.” He put his other hand on Itachi's lower back, close to where his gun was tucked into his jeans. “Is he telling the truth?” He could see Orochimaru smile out of the corner of his eye, but he could also see a flash of orange the same shade as Yahiko’s hair.

“Yes.” Kisame smiled at him quickly, pulled the gun out of his jeans, and then shot Kabuto who was still standing behind him. Itachi quickly grabbed one of the guns from the holster inside Kisame's jacket and pointed it at Orochimaru. The older man looked surprised at the gunshot and then furious as he looked at them. 

“Weren’t you listening to anything I just said?!” 

“I was.” Kisame turned so his gun was pointing at Orochimaru too. “But Itachi had told me all of that already. So you really didn’t tell me anything worth listening to.” Yahiko, Konan, and Hidan all approached with their guns drawn too. 

“Can I like shoot him in the foot or something?” Hidan looked over at Konan for permission.

“No.”

“Bitch.” The fury on Orochimaru’s face worsened as they got closer. 

“So you’ve all chosen him over me. What will you do when he betrays you?” Konan shrugged.

“Probably something a lot like this. Hidan, tie him up.” Hidan used more force than necessary to pull Orochimaru’s arms behind his back to zip tie them together. 

“You’re making a mistake.” Konan shrugged again.

“Maybe, but it’s ours to make. Hidan, gag him.” Hidan also used more force than necessary as he put a layer of tape over Orochimaru’s mouth. 

“Your guys ready for him?” Yahiko’s question was directed to Kisame who was checking Kabuto for a pulse.

“Yup. Ameyuri’s ready and waiting for him. She’ll get him to talk.” 

“Alright. Good work everyone. Itachi, Kisame, go home and get some rest. We’ll call you tomorrow.” Yahiko and Konan left with a wave, and Hidan followed them dragging Orochimaru with him. Orochimaru shot Itachi a threatening look as they left, but the dragging took away any effect it would’ve had. As soon as they were out of sight, Kisame grabbed him and held him tight. 

“I was so fucking worried when I saw you.” Itachi held back just as tightly.

“I’m sorry I let him sneak up on me.” He pulled back just far enough to kiss each scar on Kisame’s face. “But it’s finished now.” Kisame kissed the new scar on his face.

“Yeah. Ameyuri will get Kakuzu what he needs and then we can dump his body somewhere for your dad to find.” 

“Good. Can we go home now?” 

“Yeah Itachi, we can go home.”

The undercover cop was still sleeping when they got back. Itachi wanted to break in his window and wake him up, but he didn’t. They climbed back up the fire escape and went back in through the roof access just in case. They climbed into bed almost as soon as they were in the apartment. They held each other without saying anything for a long while. Kisame fell asleep at some point, and Itachi stayed awake just to watch him sleep. 


	22. Chapter 22

Almost a week afterwards, one of the undercover cops came into the office and spoke to him directly. “Uh your dad needs to see you down at the station.” Itachi pretended like he had no idea why his father would need him.

“Did he say why?” 

“Uh no. Just that I should bring you immediately and that you have to come alone.” He looked over at Kakuzu as if he was concerned that the other man would try to come. Kakuzu looked vaguely interested, but mostly bored with the whole thing.

“Right. Then let’s go I guess. I’ll be back later, Kakuzu.” Kakuzu waved lazily.

“See ya. Try not to get shot this time.” The cop looked even more concerned.

The ride over was incredibly awkward. When they had climbed into the car, Itachi had texted Kisame to let him know what was going on. The cop watched him text in interest and then asked, “texting the big guy?” to which Itachi nodded. Then the cop winked cartoonishly and asked, “he seems to keep you pretty satisfied, eh?” to which Itachi shot him a look of shocked disbelief. Then he didn’t say anything else at all on the ride over.

Itachi got out of the car before he even finished parking. He went into the station without waiting for the cop. His father was waiting for him in the lobby with a serious expression. “Itachi, we think we found him.” He tried to look confused.

“Him? Orochimaru?” His father nodded once and then started walking away. He assumed Itachi would just follow him, which it did, but the assumption still annoyed him. He led him down to the morgue.

“A plainclothes found him down by the river. He’s been dead for a few days. His fingerprints match what’s on record, but I still want you to make a positive ID before we make it official.” He nodded to the tech in the room and then she opened one of the drawers and pulled the body out. 

“It’s him.” It was Orochimaru. His body was bloated with river water and his eyeliner was smudged. He was more battered than he had been the last time Itachi had seen him, which he assumed was Ameyuri’s handiwork. He also had a bullethole right in the center of his forehead.

“You’re sure?” Itachi looked at Orochimaru’s face and expected the man to smile at him.

“I’m sure.” His father sighed.

“Close him back up.” She slid him back in and shut the drawer. His father walked out of the room and assumed Itachi would follow him. He did follow him, again, but was even more annoyed with the assumption. They both stayed silent as they walked to his father’s office. His father still had the same serious expression as they sat down with the desk between them.

“Does this mean you’ll pull the guys watching me?” His father frowned at Itachi speaking first. 

“Yes, unless you think one of Orochimaru’s men might still come after you?”

“No. They have no reason to.” And most of them were dead too, but he didn’t mention that. “Is there anything else?” His father’s frown grew more pronounced. 

“You will not speak to me with that tone. Do you understand?” 

“Perfectly.” He stood up. “There isn’t anything else.” His father also stood up.

“Yes there is! Sit back down.” Itachi didn’t. “I know you’ve been gone for a while, but you are still my son and you will listen to me. Sit down.” They looked at each other for a long moment before Itachi sat back down. He had been an obedient son longer than he had been anything else, so it was still hard for him to do anything except for what his father told him to do. His father sat back down too. “This is what we need to talk about.”

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean you’ve been gone for too long and now Orochimaru’s dead. You’re coming back home Itachi, and that is not up for discussion.” He bit the inside of his cheek and waited for his father to finish saying whatever else it was that he wanted to say. "We'll explain everything to your mother and clear up any misunderstandings. Then we can get your life back on track. I don't think a career on the force is the right option for you, but I can look at law schools in the area."

"Father." It was still hard for him to not listen to his father, but he had no intention on letting him run his life anymore. Itachi  _ had _ a life now with a job he liked, friends, and someone who loved him. He had no intention on giving any of that up. "I will not be doing any of that. It  _ has _ been a long time, but I've built a different life for myself during that time. And it's a life I like. I'm not changing any part of it." His father sputtered.

"A life you  _ like _ ? You're an assistant bookkeeper at some small office with delinquents for friends. You've been utterly indecent with that thug. You should be embarrassed to show your face here with the way you've acted with him in front of my officers."

"Then I guess it's a good thing I don't work here." Itachi stood again. "Goodbye father. I've promised mother and Sasuke that I'd visit more so I guess I'll be seeing you again sometime soon." He left the office and ignored his father calling after him.

He walked to the garage from the station. He called Kakuzu as he walked and the other man told him to just come in earlier tomorrow with coffee for both of them. Itachi thanked him more than he needed to, but Kakuzu accepted it with a grumbled 'whatever kid'. 

Everyone except Kisame was at the garage when he got there. Zabuza's boyfriend Haku was even there and he rushed over when he saw Itachi. Haku and Itachi had become fast friends when they first met mainly because Haku liked to bake and Itachi liked to eat sweets. Right now Haku was pushing some kind of cookie into his hand as he tried to hug him. "Are you okay? I didn't even know you got shot until today! Mangetsu told me because apparently it 'slipped Zabuza's mind'." He shot a glare over to his boyfriend who just shrugged. 

"We get shot all the time. How am I supposed to know which ones I should tell you about?" Haku rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Itachi.

" _ Are _ you alright?" Itachi hugged back and then shoved the cookie in his mouth.

"Yes. I didn't even feel it." Haku peered at the scar on his face. "And now he's dead."

"Officially? Did they find the body yet?" Ameyuri looked excited. 

"Yes. I was just at the station to ID him." 

"How'd he look?" 

"Pretty beat up and all waterlogged. Nice work." She smiled in a way that showed all her teeth.

"Of course. I don't let anyone rough up my guys." She came over and jostled him and Haku. "Now where the hell did you hide the cookies?" 

"They're in the office." She ran out before Haku even finished answering. Haku pulled another cookie out of his pocket and handed it to Itachi. He smiled as he ate it and thought again about how much he liked the life he had made for himself.

When Kisame came back, he found Itachi braiding Haku's hair as the other man continued feeding him cookies. He watched them with a smile and then gently pushed Haku out of the lobby when Itachi finished. Then he gave his best shot at braiding Itachi's hair as he told him about everything that happened at the station. He made the appropriate noises at all the right times and didn't say anything until he was certain Itachi was finished. 

"Think your dad's just gonna let this go?" His laugh surprised him.

"Oh definitely not. But for once mother's on my side so maybe she can do something." 

"She did strike the fear of something into him the other night." Itachi hummed in agreement. "So what's the plan now?" 

"Lay low for a bit, kill Danzo, and then business as usual."

"Do you want us to handle Danzo?" He shook his head. 

"I want to do it." 

"Okay, but we're here if you need us."

"Thank you." 

Itachi still had a lot to think about, but he decided not to worry about it for the rest of the day. Instead he took Deidara's suggestion to celebrate. They went to Kurama where he learned exactly what drinking a fishbowl margarita was like and danced until he was exhausted. 


	23. Chapter 23

After Orochimaru was officially declared dead, Itachi started to see his family more often again. His father  _ did _ tell his mother everything, but it seemed to have the opposite effect of what he wanted. She called him crying and apologizing for letting him take on something like that. She only cried harder when he said it was his decision and he knew what he was getting into. She continued to apologize for not knowing and not protecting him better. And then she cried even harder when he told her there wasn’t anything to forgive.

His mother started inviting them over whenever his father wasn’t home or meeting them out for dinner. It seemed like she was trying to make up for the past two years by acting as a buffer between Itachi and his father. It was working pretty well as he hadn’t seen his father since they called him in to ID Orochimaru. She also seemed to really like Kisame, which made something feel light in his chest. 

He got to see Sasuke more too, which almost made up for the years when he couldn’t see him at all. Sasuke didn’t know the truth, but his mother must’ve told him  _ something _ because he was less angry with Itachi. He was still very rude, but he guessed it was a teenager thing. He let Itachi pick him up from school sometimes and help with his homework, which made him feel like they were kids again. 

Hanging out with Shisui again was the easiest. Partly because he didn’t have to lie to him about anything and partly because Shisui was always the easiest person for him to be around. Shisui fit in with his friends well enough, and they seemed to like him. Deidara seemed to like him a lot, but Itachi decided that wasn’t any of his business. He never asked them any questions and pretended not to notice any of the obvious things. He also tried to get them to go to Kurama a lot, but eventually Itachi realized that was because he could never get in on his own. Itachi’s heart swelled just being able to tease Shisui over something stupid again.

Kisame was so patient with him through all of it too. He came with Itachi when he wanted him to and didn’t when he didn’t. He seemed to like Shisui and never complained about him stopping by. He was so polite to his mother with all of her questions and requests for heavy lifting. He was nice to Sasuke even though his brother was still unbelievably rude to him. And he was so kind and patient with Itachi on the nights when the guilt pressed so heavily against his chest that he couldn’t sleep. Itachi loved Kisame so much that sometimes he thought he’d burst with it. 

They started meeting Itachi’s mother somewhat regularly for dinner. Sasuke would come too if he wasn’t busy or in a terrible mood. Usually dinner was nice, but his mother had said she’d be bringing someone else without saying who it would be. He was worried she might bring his father or, worse, one of his aunts that he didn’t know that well. Kisame wasn’t nervous, but he was also better with people than Itachi was.

Itachi made sure they got to the restaurant first, so he could wait outside and see his mother coming. He wasn’t planning on running, but he wanted to keep the option open. Kisame laughed at him for it, but he waited outside too. 

“Itachi!” Someone barrelled into him and would’ve knocked him over if it weren’t for Kisame.

“Kisame!” Someone else barrelled into Kisame, but that barely moved him. He recognized Kushina and Naruto by the volume of their voices. He saw his mother, Sasuke, and Naruto’s father walking towards them at a more normal speed.

“Hello Kushina, Naruto.” Kushina squeezed him tightly. 

“I’m glad you’re okay. Naruto showed me that picture of your face and it was gross.”

“SO GROSS!” Naruto shouted it up at him even though they were standing right next to each other. He heard Naruto’s father sigh.

“Naruto, please let go of him.” Naruto made a face, but let go of Kisame. Kushina also, reluctantly, let go of Itachi. “It’s good to see you again, Itachi.”

“You too, Minato. This is my boyfriend, Kisame.” He held out his hand and Minato took it without any hesitation.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’ve been curious about the man who was able to get Naruto to remember something.” Naruto stuck his tongue out at his father, but then Sasuke hit him hard on the back of the head. Kisame laughed as his mother frowned.

"Don't do that, Sasuke." Sasuke scowled. "You guys didn't have to wait for us outside." Kisame laughed again, and Itachi stepped on his foot. 

"It was a nice night. Ready to go in?" Naruto and Sasuke led them all inside. 

The restaurant was crowded and loud, but he didn't mind it. Kushina and Naruto asked them a lot of questions which Minato tried to stop, but he didn't mind that either. They actually got Sasuke to interact more than he usually did. A lot of it was him calling Naruto an idiot, but the other boy didn't seem to care too much. It made Itachi's heart twist pleasantly. He felt someone’s eyes on him as they talked, but he wasn’t surprised. They were a loud group. 

He hadn’t considered what kind of person would’ve been looking at him until he was alone in the bathroom and then heard the door lock. “A loud lock doesn’t usually precede a pleasant conversation.” He looked up from the sink and saw Danzo standing by the door. 

“Oh I think this conversation will be pleasant enough.” He leaned heavily on his cane. “I think it’s best if we’re both honest with each other. I know the truth of what Orochimaru was involved in and his relationship with you. And you know the truth of his relationship with me.”

“What does the truth of those relationships mean for the relationship between the two of us?” Itachi kept his voice light and pleasant, but he could tell that Danzo heard the underlying threat in it. 

“I’m proposing that you and I have a similar relationship to the one that I had with Orochimaru. You keep me informed on all the dealings in your area of the criminal underworld, and I keep you off the police’s radar.” 

“I don’t think I’d need your help with that.” He made his voice a little less pleasant. 

“Oh I think you do.” Danzo smiled at him and it wasn’t pleasant at all. “Orochimaru gave me enough information about the Akatsuki that I could close them down right now. I know the Mist would be thrilled to have their Monster back.” Itachi gritted his teeth until it hurt.

“I see.” He took a few deep breaths. “Then I suppose I’m looking forward to working with you.” Danzo’s unpleasant smile widened. 

“Likewise.” He unlocked the door and let Itachi leave the bathroom.

Kisame looked at him questioningly as he sat back down. He waited until the other man had put his arm back around his shoulders before he said anything. He shifted close so he could whisper right into Kisame’s ear. “Danzo surprised me in the bathroom with a uh  _ proposal _ . I’ll tell you more about it at home. He’ll be the man with a cane and an eyepatch.” Kisame made a noise low in his throat and shifted just enough so he could see the bathroom door from the corner of his eye. He made the noise again when he saw Danzo. 

“So what are you lovebirds whispering to each other?” Kushina was peering at them intently from across the table.

“Just telling him about the very insistent older man I met in the bathroom. He didn’t want to take no for an answer.” 

“Older guys always seem to have a thing for him.”

“You mean older guys like  _ you _ ?” Sasuke looked very smug like he just said something relatively cutting.

“Sasuke, don’t be rude.”

“Oh no.” Kisame looked like he had heard something earth-shattering. “I  _ am _ way older than you.” Itachi rolled his eyes. 

“You’re not that much older than me. Sasuke’s just being a brat.” Sasuke scowled at him. 

“No he’s totally right. Oh god, I’m basically your new evil sugar daddy.” He rolled his eyes again. 

“You’re not my sugar daddy.” Kushina burst out in a loud, shriek-like laugh that startled him.

“You saying sugar daddy in your serious little voice is the funniest thing I’ve ever heard.” She couldn’t stop laughing as she spoke. His mother and Minato both looked embarrassed. 

“What’s sugar daddy mean?” Itachi hid his face in his hands as Naruto shouted his question. Kisame laughed.

Itachi told Kisame everything Danzo said when they were back home later. Kisame’s frown got more pronounced as he spoke. “So I guess that means it’s time to deal with Danzo?” 

“Yes. We need to make sure no one else knows about the information he says he has and then I’ll kill him.” Kisame made a thoughtful noise.

“How are you going to figure that out?” He shrugged.

“Absolutely no idea. I’ll see if Nagato has any ideas.” Kisame made the thoughtful noise again.

“You’ll do whatever it is safely, right?” He held Kisame’s face in his hands.

“I will. I promise, baby.” Kisame smiled down at him softly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as i wrote this fic i realized i love writing rude little sasuke!


	24. Chapter 24

Nagato had a few different ideas on how to find out what exactly Danzo knew. He told Itachi he’d work on getting access to Danzo’s computers and then he could try to find any files he might have on them. He'd also try to trace any communications from there.

While Nagato worked, Itachi watched Danzo. He wasn't very interesting to watch. He lived alone in a house close to Itachi's parents. He didn't have any family and very few friends. He went to work, complained to the city council about a lot of different things often, and donated a lot to a local orphanage. There wasn't anyone Itachi noticed that Danzo would've been likely to confide in, but they needed to be sure. 

After a handful of days Nagato told him what he found. "Absolutely nothing. Either this guy's that smart and careful or he's just too old to know how to use a computer. He does his work, looks things up sometimes, and orders books online. He doesn't even have any pictures or music saved anywhere." Nagato shook his head. "He still uses AOL for email. AOL Itachi!" Itachi sighed.

"So that idea's a bust." 

"Yeah. Think he keeps everything written down?" Itachi thought about everything he noticed about Danzo from the past few days.

"Yes. It has to be somewhere." The only two places he was in often were his home and his office. "I can search his house, but I'll need you to get his alarm system offline." 

"Got it."

Itachi broke into Danzo's house the next day while he was at work. He expertly picked the lock on the front door, and Nagato took care of the alarm system. The inside looked outdated and not very lived in. He found Danzo's office easily and started his search there. He also pretty much ended his search there as he found everything he needed.

Danzo’s office had a wall of locked filing cabinets. Itachi picked the locks on them easily. They were full of folders labelled with names, some he recognized and some he didn’t. Each folder was full of handwritten notes detailing all sorts of things. Danzo had a file on each member of the Akatsuki, including one on Itachi. He had a file on each of Kisame’s friends who had left the Mist with him, including Haku. He had a file on Orochimaru, his father, and even one on Sasuke. Itachi flipped through all of those ones quickly and then put them back exactly as he had found them. Then he relocked the cabinets.

He looked through the rest of the house to be thorough, but Danzo’s house was just as boring as his computer had been. It was actually kind of depressing. He left everything exactly as he had found it and relocked the door as he left.

He told Yahiko, Konan, Nagato, and Kisame what he had found. Nagato was baffled that Danzo kept handwritten notes, but Konan seemed impressed. It seemed like Danzo hadn’t shared them with anyone else, but they kept their eyes on him for a few more days to be sure.

After the few days were up, Yahiko felt sure enough that Danzo didn’t have anyone to confide in and told Itachi to go for it.

Kisame asked him if he was sure he wanted to be the one to do it at least six times. He said he was each time and promised Kisame he’d be as smart and as safe as he could. Itachi kissed him for a long time before he eventually left.

He broke into Danzo’s house about an hour before the other man usually returned from work. He unlocked the filing cabinets and pulled each folder detailing the Akatsuki and anyone related to them. He put the folders in his bag and then relocked the cabinets. It would be safer to burn them anywhere else. Then he went over to the decanter of whiskey Danzo kept in his office, lightly coated the rim of one of the glasses with something to keep him more agreeable, and then sat down in the other man’s chair.

Danzo came home exactly when Itachi expected him to. He heard the older man unlock his door, discard his keys, and take off his shoes. Then he heard him walk to his kitchen and then open and close his fridge. He heard the older man’s cane loudly smack across the floor as he moved through the house. When Danzo got to the office, he flipped the light on and jumped as he saw Itachi sitting there. Itachi wanted to laugh, but stopped himself as it would’ve ruined the image he was going for.

“Welcome home, Danzo.” He stood up and offered the man his own chair to sit in. Danzo hesitated in the doorway.

“Why are you in my home?”

“We never discussed when, where, and how often we’d need to meet, so I decided to take the initiative and come see you.” He smiled at Danzo. “Hope that wasn’t a problem?” Danzo still looked cautious, but he did walk into the room and sit down.

“No, but in the future  _ I _ will be the one reaching out to  _ you _ to schedule these meetings.” Itachi nodded once. “Good. Now tell me how the Akatsuki are handling the loss of Orochimaru.” 

“They’re glad to see him gone.” Itachi started walking around the office, looking at the pictures on the wall as if it was the first time he was seeing them. “They knew he had been stealing from them and that he was planning to run. He also just wasn’t very pleasant to be around.” He stopped right in front of the decanter of whiskey. “Do you mind?” Danzo looked like he was going to say ‘yes he absolutely minded’, but Itachi was already pouring some whiskey into two glasses. He made sure to keep his hands and the glasses in Danzo’s line of sight as he poured and as he walked back over. He handed one of the glasses to Danzo and then immediately started drinking from the other one. The whiskey burned his throat.

“Are you even old enough to drink?” Danzo looked at the glass with hesitation.

“According to my ID I am.” He finished his drink quickly. “Zetsu’s taken over all of Orochimaru’s business for now, but it’s probably going to shift to me soon.” 

“How soon?” Danzo picked up his glass and took his first sip of the whiskey.

“Within the month I think.” Danzo kept drinking, so he kept talking. “He left things in a mess, so there’s been a lot we needed to do to get it running smoothly again.” 

“Any weapons deals coming up?” His voice was a little slurred like he had already finished a few drinks.

“Not that I know of.” Danzo’s pupils looked dilated and his hand was starting to becoming unsteady. Itachi moved so that he was standing behind the other man and then tipped the glass so Danzo would finish his drink. Then he moved the other man’s hand back down to place the glass on the desk.

“What are you doing?” His slurring had gotten worse. 

“Helping you finish your drink. It’s good whiskey and would’ve been a shame to waste it.” He reached into Danzo’s jacket and grabbed his gun from its holster.

“What….what did you do to me?” 

“Gave you something to make you more agreeable. It’ll be out of your system in no time. Now the real question is what  _ am _ I going to do to you.” He put the gun in Danzo’s hand and then moved his hand so the man was holding the gun to his own head. 

“You’re not even going to have me write a note?” His voice was still slurred, but he also sounded resigned.

“No, it’s too risky. It’s believable enough without one. You have no family, barely any friends, and you have a very stressful and dangerous job. It all just got to be too much.” Danzo laughed and it sounded bitter.

“You know, we could’ve had a good partnership.” 

“No we couldn’t have had. I don’t like taking orders. And you never should’ve threatened Kisame.” He shifted and then had Danzo pull the trigger. He moved away quickly and avoided getting any blood on his clothes. The body fell forward onto the desk. He moved over to the other side of the desk to look at him.

It really looked like Danzo had came home and shot himself. He didn’t look like he had struggled and nothing looked suspiciously out of place in his office. Itachi took the glass he had drank from with him when he left the room. He relocked the front door as he left.

The apartment was full when he got back, which had been the plan. Kisame immediately rushed over and looked him over for injuries. When he couldn’t find any, he gathered Itachi up in a tight hug. “Everything go okay?” 

“Exactly as planned.” Kisame kissed him hard and then pulled him further into the apartment. As soon as he was in sight, Haku tried to shove some treat into his hand while Hidan tried to shove a beer into his other one. He was glad to be home.


	25. Chapter 25

When his mother told him about Danzo's death later that week, Itachi pretended to be surprised and upset. She told him how it was a shock to everyone and how his father seemed to be taking the loss the hardest. He agreed when his mother asked if he could have dinner with his father to try and start repairing their relationship in light of this. She agreed when he asked if Kisame could also come. 

Dinner wasn't as awkward as he had expected. His mother carried the conversation while his father mostly remained silent. Sasuke was even less rude than usual, but he assumed that was because of his father's presence. His father did spend a lot of time looking at Kisame as if he were trying to figure something out, but he didn't ask him any questions. He didn't ask Itachi any questions either. Itachi assumed his mother lectured him beforehand about keeping the peace. His father shook both their hands when they left, which was surprising. As was his parting comment that he'd see both of them again soon. 

Itachi forgot about his father's comment almost as soon as they had left that night. He  _ had  _ started to take over Orochimaru's old responsibilities, which had given him a lot to focus on. He was busy most days and didn't have the time to think about his father. Which is why he was so surprised to find him in his apartment with a gun pointed at Kisame one night.

He hadn't been lying to Danzo when he said Orochimaru had left things in a mess. He had been spending a lot of time with Kakuzu and Yahiko trying to fix it, which meant that Kisame was often home before him. So it wasn't too weird that the door was unlocked when he got back. It was weird that the apartment was quiet. There was always some kind of noise when Kisame was home. He'd turn on the tv or the radio or even just talk to his fish so there was some kind of sound. Itachi put his hand on his gun tucked in the back of his jeans. He had started keeping it on him since that last night with Orochimaru. He walked further into the apartment as quietly as he could. 

Kisame was sitting on the couch with his father standing over him and a gun pointed at him. His expression was blank and his father's was tense. He stopped walking forward and tried to make a small enough noise as to not startle his father into shooting. "What are you doing father?" 

"This man isn't who you think he is."

"Who do  _ you _ think he is?" He frowned at Itachi's tone.

"Have you heard of the Swordsmen of the Mist?" He bit the inside of his cheek so no recognition would show on his face and shook his head. "The Mist is rumored to have a small team of enforcers made up of dangerous men. There's another rumor that this group all defected at once."

"So you're pointing a gun at my boyfriend based on two rumors and no evidence." His father's frown grew more pronounced.

"I have enough evidence. At Danzo's house we found files that he had kept on everyone, but I noticed some obvious gaps. There wasn't a file on you or Orochimaru or the Swordsmen. But he had references to them in other ones." Itachi cursed himself for missing those. "The missing files were suspicious enough on their own. But then the few references I could find to the Swordsmen were oddly familiar. How many people do you know with unnaturally sharpened teeth?" He had to bite the inside of his cheek even harder. "Just trust me on this, son." 

"I don't trust you." He lowered the gun slightly as he focused on Itachi. "Not after I found out all about Orochimaru's journals and all the pictures." Kisame started to watch them in interest.

"How did you find out about those?"

"Someone showed me. They also showed me the police report in which you signed off on using me as bait. So no I don't trust you, especially not on this. Put the gun away." His father scowled.

"We can talk about that later. Right now I am doing what's best for you even if you don't believe me." He raised the gun so it was steady again. Itachi realized his father was actually intending to shoot Kisame. He pulled out his own gun and pointed it at his father.

"If you shoot then I will too." His father looked both incredulous and furious. Kisame looked excited and winked at Itachi when they made eye contact.

"Lower the gun."

"You first." His father's expression grew both more incredulous and more furious.

"You would really threaten your own father over this thug?" He didn't hesitate at all with his answer.

"Yes. I know exactly who Kisame is and what he means to me. I've chosen him and I'll keep choosing him. I know certain things have been hard for you to accept, but you  _ will _ accept them."

"Itachi--"

"Or we'll just leave the Leaf. You'll never see us again and that'll be it." He looked his father in the eye and held the gun steady. "So what will you do father?" They looked at each other for a long moment, and then his father lowered his gun. He lowered his own gun once his father's was completely out of sight. 

"So that's it? You want me to just forget everything I know?"

"I want you to put aside what you're assuming you know and trust me to live my own life." They looked at each other for another long moment before his father sighed. 

"This won't be the last time we'll talk about this, but I….I do trust you Itachi." He looked over to Kisame like he expected the other man to interject with something, but Kisame just grinned back. "I think there are certain things we'll never agree on, but I don't want you to leave the Leaf because of them." He sighed again. "I guess I'll see you again the next time your mother allows it." He gave Itachi a small smile like they were ready to joke together again. 

"Goodbye father." He shifted so that it was clear he was making a path for his father to leave. His father's smile got a sad edge, but he did leave. He knew it would be a long time before their relationship was anything but strained, but Itachi didn't care. 

As soon as he was sure his father was really gone, he went over to Kisame. He climbed into his lap, took his face into his hands, and kissed him hard. Kisame kissed back just as intensely. Itachi only pulled away when he was out of breath. He rested his forehead against the other man's and traced his scars with his thumbs. "You know, the stuff you said to your dad kind of sounded like a proposal."

"Did it? I didn't mean it to." Kisame smiled at him softly.

"It did. I don't mind. What would you say if I asked you right now?" Itachi's heart started racing all on its own.

"We haven't even known each other for a year yet." 

"I know. So does that mean you'd say no?"

"It doesn't." 

Kisame didn't ask him, but he didn't need to. They had both asked and had both answered in their own way. Itachi smiled down at him softly as his heart twisted in that pleasant way that had become very familiar. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading and i hope you liked it!!!! 
> 
> the main reasoning for this plot is because i love the akatsuki and if i were Itachi i would've joined them for real. also before knowing Itachi's full story i really felt like he was just a repressed honor's student who snapped one day. then he joined an evil group, started wearing nail polish, and got to gay and evil. so the plot of this is that itachi gets to have friends, be gay, and do crimes.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic in years, so please be gentle with me! I recently watched Naruto for the first time and loved it!
> 
> Important note about the world! It is a modern setting AU but the countries/cities are the same as the Naruto ones. So this takes place in the Leaf and some of the other hidden villages are mentioned.
> 
> Thank you for reading!!


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